Stolen
by prettyxinxpoison
Summary: Jill is a hardworking, accomplished farmer, albeit a little lonely sometimes, seeing as all of her friends have gone and married. Will it take a no good thief to open her heart? JillxSkye
1. Chapter 1

**Stolen**

I wiped my wet forehead and sat down on a boulder in my field, and smiled. _I have two 9x9 squares of each Spring crop, my two cows are feeding in the grass, safely fenced in with my lamb and chicken, and there's not a weed in sight. Perfect. _Farming was exhausting, but I'd grown so fond of it. It was hard to believe that exactly two years ago on this day, the second of Spring, I'd arrived in Forget-Me-Not Valley. I was clueless as how to farm, and for a season or two I was an utter failure. But, as all things go, I got the hang of it with experience.

I made plenty of friends, too. Nami, Lumina, Celia, Muffy, Flora- all of the women in town had their own unique and endearing personalities. There was Lumina and Muffy, who were childish and extroverted. Nami and Flora were inquisitive, yet kept to themselves more- tough to become friends with, but also the most interesting to befriend. And there was Celia, my best friend in this small town. She was quiet and shy at first, but as I got to know her I saw her giggly and playful side. Not to mention how great she was at listening. And over the past two years, they had all grown up and fallen in love. I remember all of their weddings: first was Celia and Marlin, which wasn't a surprise at all. Flora and Carter were married next, soon to be followed by Nami and Gustafa. Muffy and Griffin wed, which I found strange because of the age difference, but I suppose that love is blind. (And, apparently, oblivious of age.) The youngest, Lumina, was finally wed to Rock less than a season ago.

Am I lonely, you ask? No. I'm fine. Really. I have my animals, I have my farm, and I have my friends. I admit, I do get jealous from time to time when I hear of my friends' nights with their husbands, but there's nobody here for me to fall in love with. Honestly, I haven't even had the time, being so preoccupied with the farm. And… Maybe I lied. I am lonely, and I do fantasize about being married. Doesn't every girl? I sigh, sitting on my boulder, my work done for the day.

"Jill! Jill! Help, you've got to read this!" I recognize Lumina's high pitched voice, and hear her small feet running onto my farm. I look up, and she's standing over me waving a piece of paper.

I raise an eyebrow. "Calm down, Lumina! Is it a note? What's so bad about it?"

"Read it," Lumina commands, and I hear her voice shaking. I take the letter in my hands and unfold it.

_Residents of the Villa-_

_Tonight, at midnight, I will be gracing your home with a visit. I won't leave empty handed. _

_-The Phantom Skye_

I finish reading the note, and hand it back to Lumina. "That's confusing, who would warn you of a robbery? That's got to be a joke."

Lumina is still taking this very seriously. "You haven't heard, Jill?" She asks, her voice still quivering, on the verge of tears. Apparently, I'm missing something important, so I shake my head no. "There's a thief on the loose. He's been robbing people here and in Mineral Town, and he always sends a warning beforehand. He's never been caught! I'm so scared!"

I look at Lumina and flash a comforting smile. "Don't worry," I say, "I will definitely come up to your place around eleven tonight to check it out. Anyway, doesn't Rock know about this? I'm sure he wouldn't let a thief escape." Lumina calms down a little bit, at the mention of her new husband. _Ah, newlyweds. _

She takes a deep breath and smiles. "You're right. Rock will protect me. But I'd still feel better if you came, too. Do you promise?"

I laughed; Lumina could act like such a little girl sometimes. "I promise. What are friends for?" Lumina's usual perky attitude returns and she bids me goodbye. It's just now late afternoon, so I decide to shower before going to her house later.

After a shower and a meal, it's only 8:00 p.m., so I decide to nap for an hour. I need to wake up at six every morning, and it's going to be a late night tonight. I feel revitalized and refreshed after waking up, and prepare to head over on to Lumina's. Honestly, I didn't even think that a thief would visit; I still had this notion that the note was a joke. _Nobody would tell someone that they're about to get robbed, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of stealing? It's ridiculous to believe that this 'Phantom Skye' is serious. _

Right before leaving, I take a quick look at myself in the mirror. I looked the way I always did; I considered myself a Plain Jane. Short sleeved tee, jeans, brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. I didn't feel the need to dress up, considering I toiled on a farm all day, and there were no bachelors that were available. (Not like I had interest in them, anyway.) The only special thing I ever wore was a beaded bracelet on my left wrist, which my best friend made me when we were kids. Chelsea. People always thought we looked so alike, except for her stunning blue eyes that made my hazel ones look modest. She died a few years ago, of a terrible sickness, part of the reason I ran away and began farming. A day hasn't passed that I don't miss her, and I will always cherish my bracelet. I quickly fix my ponytail, and begin the long walk to Lumina's.

I arrive a little before eleven, and Lumina rushes me into her home. "Okay," she begins, "Rock and I are going to be right inside, okay? You'll be stationed out front." I nod, still thinking this was a prank being pulled by the Witch. Ever since I had freed the Harvest Goddess a few seasons ago, the Witch had been feistier than ever. You never knew with her…

Rock appeared upstairs, and walked down the spiral staircase to meet with us. "Hey, Jill! Did Lumina tell you our plan?" I nodded, and he continued, "Sorry you're all alone… Lumina is really scared." He rolled his eyes when his wife wasn't looking, and I laughed. _She's scared, but I know you'll want the time to make out, too. _Rock was quite the player before Lumina began dating him, and some things just never change. "Ready?" He asked, and I nodded. Lumina grabbed his hand, looking to her husband for protection.

I step right outside, and pace by the fountain gracing the lavish front lawn. I look at my watch, and realize it's midnight, on the dot. "Hello?" I call out, squinting to see in the darkness.

Suddenly, I feel a human hand on my back, and before I can let out a yelp, there's another hand covering my mouth. The skin is soft, and the hands are large. A man's voice, low and smooth, echoes in my eardrum as this mysterious person's warm breath whispers near my neck. "Don't be scared, beautiful. I came to rob this house, but I'm thinking I may take you instead." I feel myself being led away from Lumina's house, and I try to look at the man who's taking me, but the hand on my shoulder keeps me facing forward. Eventually, we end up near the Goddess's pond, and the hands are removed.

"What the hell? Who the hell are you? What are you doing? This is shit!" I start ranting, unaware of what I'm saying or what I want to say. The man chuckles softly and moves from behind me to in front. I gasp. He's… _beautiful._ Silver hair, bright in the moonlight. Blue, catlike eyes gaze into mine, and he's at least a head taller than me. His outfit is ostentatious, purple pants and a leopard print shirt, but he's definitely got style.

Words can't make their way from my brain to my mouth, so I stand there, awkward and silent. His voice fills the gap, saying, "I haven't seen you around here before. Tsk, it's a shame. You're more gorgeous than the light from the full moon."

"I'm not going to fall for your sweet talking!" I finally yell, and ball up my small hands into fists. "Tell me who the hell you are, and why you took me!" I was almost mad at myself for getting in this boy's face, he was so… Mesmerizing. But he practically kidnapped me!

The silver-haired wonder gave a coy wink and replied, "Phantom Skye. Nice to meet you…" His voice trails off, subtly asking for my name.

"Jill." I give as short a reply as possible, and turn away.

A slender finger tickles the bottom of my chin, and angles it upward so I'm looking into his eyes again. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he muses, and I can't help but blush, as corny as he is. "Dearest Jill, shall we ever meet again?"

I snort, pulling myself from his charming trance. "Yeah, right. You're such a cocky son of a bitch. And just so you know, sweet talk won't get you anywhere with me. You probably say this stuff to every girl you meet, I'm nothing special." I turn my back to this Skye, but he quickly shuffles so I'm facing him yet again.

He bends so he's at my eye level, and whispers, "You are special. I may have stolen an object, but you've stolen my heart. I hope I do see you again. But, for now, it's farewell." He then turns on his heel and swiftly walks out of the area, probably out of the town.

_He thinks I'm beautiful. He thinks I'm special…! _The hint of a smile plays on my face, but it fades just as quickly as I furrow my brow. He probably says that to every girl, just to get away with stealing things. For all I know, he's some broke man-whore who gets his kicks from talking his way into a girl's heart. I couldn't trust him, that much I knew. I walk, alone, back to my farm, figuring I'd explain to Lumina the next day what had happened. It was far too late to go back to her place now, and I could feel my eyelids getting heavier with each step. Finally, I'd made it to my house, and eventually my warm, soft bed. Sleeping never felt so nice…

Fidgeting in bed, after I hurriedly undressed, I instinctively feel around my wrist. _Chelsea's bracelet… It's gone! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Stolen: Chapter 2**

I fell asleep before I could worry too much about my bracelet. The next morning, when I woke up, I put all of my clothes on and remembered that my wrist was bare. Figuring I'd accidentally taken it off while getting undressed the night before, I searched through all of my drawers. Clothes, but no bracelet. I searched all of my counters and the tops of my kitchen table. Bathroom essentials on the counter and placemats on the kitchen table, but no bracelet. I even looked in odd places, like the seat cushions and under my bed. Some spare change and a lonely sock, but no bracelet. I feel myself start to cry, but manage to hold back the tears. _Don't get emotional, Jill. You just misplaced it. You'll find it in time, it's not gone forever. _As I was comforting myself, another thought crept into my mind: Skye. _Don't be silly. He may be a thief, but he can't be a good enough thief to take something off of your wrist without you noticing. That's hardly possible. _I give up the search, and sigh, already late to working on the farm.

My animals didn't seem to notice I was late, and I received the usual happy moo's, baa's, and clucks when I let them graze in the pasture. I watered my crops, which were just small sprouts at this moment. By noon, I had finished and decided to go tell Lumina what had happened the previous night. I hope I didn't worry her, disappearing like that. I walk over to her mansion and can hear calming piano music coming from just inside her front door. I smile, glad that she's here so I can talk to her.

To be polite, I knock on her door. The music stops, and Lumina answers. "Jill!" She shouts, throwing her arms around me in a hug, "I was so worried! Are you okay? What happened?! Did 'Phantom Skye' ever show? What's he like?" I laugh.

"One story at a time," I warn, and enter her house. She eagerly sits down, reminding me of a little girl. Which, really, isn't too surprising, considering out of our group of friends in the valley, she's the youngest. "So, first, what do you want to know…?"

Lumina looks at me, with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay? That's most important."

I laugh, touched by her compassion. "Yes, Lumina, I'm great. Thanks." I smile.

"Alright, next thing that I want to know is… did he show up? And what was he like? And what happened?" All of her sentences were running together again, so I decided to just tell her the entire story at once.

I draw in a deep breath, adding drama. Lumina's eyes widen expectantly, and I begin. "Well, I guess a few minutes after you and Rock went in, someone grabbed me. They put their hand over my mouth, and had another on my shoulder-"

"Ohmygod! Jill! Why didn't you yell?!" Lumina had freak out already, and I wasn't even through with the second sentence.

I roll my eyes. "Lumina… Nobody would've heard me yelling since his hand was covering my mouth." I sigh and smile faintly. "_Anyway,_ he led me over to the pond near my farm, and introduced himself as Skye. So, yeah, I guess technically he came here to rob something, but he didn't take anything. Um, he was tall and had silver hair, and he wore really bright clothes. Which, really, is stupid for a thief, considering bright clothes would make it easier to catch him…" I furrow my eyebrows, sidetracked for a minute. "He was really handsome, actually."

Lumina giggled. "Jill! Don't tell me you're falling for a thief!" My cheeks turned pink, and I was quick to defend myself.

"I am not! Does it automatically mean I'm in love just for thinking someone is handsome? I'm sure you would've felt the same!" I say, angry that Lumina would ever suggest such a thing. Anyway, everyone knows love doesn't just _happen _after one brief conversation with a stranger. She, of all people, should know that, being married and all.

Lumina laughs at me, and mutters, "Sure. Continue?"

I nod and finish my story. "Anyway, as stupid as this might sound, he kind of started using these pick up lines and sweet nothings on me. Which _didn't _work." I added that last sentence after seeing her devious smirk. "Basically, he then just kind of left, and I went home. I wanted to tell you I was okay, but it was late and I was tired, and afraid you'd fallen asleep. Sorry if I worried you…"

Lumina put her hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry; I'm just glad nothing serious happened to you." She leans back for a minute, and then says, "So… Basically, this thief came to my house, and didn't take _anything?_ Well, except for you of course."

I shrug. "I'm pretty sure he left empty handed. I mean, I lost my bracelet, but I probably just left it somewhere and it'll turn up within a week or two. No biggie."

"Probably."

I stayed for a little while, and chatted, but eventually I decided to leave. Lumina promised me she'd fill Rock in on all of the details. When I stepped out of the mansion, I was surprised at how dark the sky was. _It was nighttime already? My animals…!_

I rushed back to the farm, and knowing it would rain the next day, carried all of my chickens to their coop. My little lamb went willingly into the barn, and so did my oldest cow, but the younger cow was a different story… She was always the one with an attitude. After an hour of pushing against her rear, I finally got all of my animals, including the stubborn heifer, into their respective homes.

Once I got into my house, I checked my large clock. 11:42. It was really late, and I could already feel how cranky I'd be early the next morning. I stripped out of my work clothes and put on boxer shorts and an old, oversized t-shirt. I know it's not the girliest thing to wear to bed, but it was comfortable and I had always though nightgowns were a pain. I gently lower myself into bed, and enjoy the warmth from the sheets surrounding my exposed legs… _Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!_

I groan. _Who the hell would knock on someone's door at midnight?! Absolutely no manners. And why won't they stop knocking…_ I stomp angrily out of bed and fling open the door. "What the f-"I begin, but I'm interrupted by that smooth voice.

"Hello, cutie. I like your get-up. Mind if I come in?" Of course I mind, I don't want _him _in here at all! Too late, he sidesteps me and enters, closing the door behind him. "I missed you, Jill. Thought I'd maybe stop and pay you a visit, hoping you're missing me too." He flashed a brilliant smile. A smile that any girl would fall for…

Not me. "Can it, loverboy. I'm not in the mood."

Skye advanced on me, suddenly making me feel very comfortable in such short shorts and alone in a small house together. "Oh, well… What would make you in the mood?" He asks, almost making a noise like a purring sound. I backed up, feeling very small and vulnerable. My back hits the wall, and Skye doesn't stop walking. He finally does when our bodies are nearly touching, and he puts his hand against the wall, next to my shoulder. He's leaning so close… I can hear his heartbeat. Every breath he takes, I can feel on my face. So, what do I do? I duck, and run across the house.

"Skye, don't come near me! I'm tired of your games, okay? I just… want to fall asleep…" I feel my eyes getting heavy, and start slouching down against the opposite wall. Skye walks over, and keels, but giving me space this time.

To my surprise, his voice softens and he tilts his head slightly to the side. "You do look tired. Come on, it's time for you to go to sleep." _Yeah, like I didn't know that…_I'm too weak to stand back up, and my eyelids feel like someone is pulling them down. It takes all my strength just to keep them open for every passing second, and finally they close and I just can't get them open. I guess pushing the cow took all of the strength out of me… I feel myself fall the rest of the way to the floor, and my body instinctively curling up.

Then… I feel _arms _under my knees and back? For a moment, I feel completely weightless, and then I feel the slight bounce of being placed on a mattress. Sheets are then pulled up to my chin, and tucked in around my shoulders. I know that Skye must have picked me up, and I'm too tired to even yell at him for touching me. He'll get it later… I fidget angrily, until a whisper softly graces my ear. "Sleep tight, Jill. I'll be back." I fall asleep right after I hear the front door close, and dream of a certain silver-haired boy.

Before you, or Lumina, or anyone else asks, I'm not falling for him. I'm still angry at him for invading my property and space. Right…? Right. He's a thief, and that's all he'll ever be to me.

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**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! :) **

**This, like Puppy Love, was supposed to be up last night but Document Manager threw a hissy fit. **

**Oh well, it's up now, so I hope you enjoy it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Why am I tucked so tightly in bed…? I don't get that cold when I sleep… _I woke up, confused, wiping the sleep from my eyes. I got up and began to get ready when I saw a paper on my usually spotless coffee table. As I got closer, I saw it was a note, and I read the neat handwriting dancing across the page.

_My darling Jill,_

_I hope you didn't forget that I tucked you in bed last night. May I mention how adorable you look while sleeping? I'll see you again, my dear, sometime soon._

_-The Phantom Skye_

Memories of the previous night entered my head, and I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. I was known to act strange while half asleep, and I hoped that I didn't say anything revealing or awkward to Skye. I also found it strange how he still signed his note "The Phantom Skye," when all I ever called him was Skye. Adding a whole other title to his name was just silly, and unnecessary. But that's just my opinion.

Not really putting much thought into when I'd see Skye again (although, I must admit that I wouldn't mind casually running into him sometime soon) I tended to the field and my animals. Sometimes, living on a farm could be monotonous, and I was glad I'd made so many good girlfriends I could go to when the work was complete. Otherwise… I might just lose my sanity. _It made me wish I had a home to go home to…_ But that was a different story for a different time.

I decided that I'd go and visit Muffy, and maybe poke a little fun at her in front of her husband at the bar. It was much too early to go for a drink, and I wasn't the type of girl who drank alcohol all that often, but I enjoyed the company at the Blue Bar- It always had at least Muffy and Griffin, of course, and sometimes other townspeople dropped by during the day.

"Hello!" I greet cheerfully, the bell above the door tinkling as I enter the Blue Bar. I see my blonde friend cleaning tables, and she excitedly runs up and hugs me.

"Jill!" She half-says, half-squeals. She was probably the biggest girly-girl in this town, and literally would live up to the term "valley girl" at times. I loved her all the same, and we got along really well. "How are you? How's the farm?"

I fix my ponytail and reply with, "I'm fine, and the farm is great! I think the nice weather this season has really helped." Muffy finishes cleaning all of the tables, and sits down at the counter. I sit in the seat next to hear, and we begin conversation.

"So, in the end," Muffy is telling me about something or other, "We really just had to say no but-"

"_Argh!"_ She's cut short by a loud, aggravated yell coming from the back.

Muffy and I get off of our butts and rush to the back room, where Griffin is standing with his back to us, his hand curling into a fist that he shakes in the air. "Griffin! Griffin, are you okay?!" Muffy calls out, frantically, her voice full of concern and worry for her husband. "Griffin, you're scaring me!"

The tall, gruff man turns to face us, still seething, but calming down once he sees the expression on Muffy's gentle face. "Oh… Uh, sorry, Muff." He looks sheepishly at the floor. "I guess I overreacted, but you have to see this." He holds out a piece of paper, and I make the mental connection pretty quickly.

Muffy's eyes scan the paper, and I can tell when she's getting to the end because her eyes kept getting wider and wider. "Phantom Skye? I think I may have heard Lumina mention him… And she mentioned you too, Jill, now that I think of it. That he took you or something. That's… disconcerting." She looks at me. "Was he like… a tough criminal? I mean… Should we be scared?"

I don't really know what to say, considering he got sidetracked from his last robbery. "Honestly, Muffy, I don't know what kind of robber he is. He got distracted last time and never actually robbed Lumina, but he did show up. And she had told me that he always sends a note warning the victim. Um, he didn't seem mean at all, but he was definitely cunning. And he has great fashion sense, as crazy as that sounds. And… he's really handsome." Muffy covered her mouth and giggled slightly, and I blushed involuntarily.

Muffy tilted her head and closed one eye. "So… Basically, he's distracted by women, he's sneaky, he's cute, and you're totally crushing on him." She stuck her tongue out at me.

"No! I just said he was handsome is all."

"Jill. I've known you since you first got here. You haven't thought anyone was handsome- even Rock, who managed to get all the girls to fall for him at some time or other. He has to be really special, or _really _hot for you to call him that." I couldn't help but mentally agree. He was special, and I'd be lying if I said he wasn't really hot.

Griffin rolled his eyes at our conversation, obviously not understanding the way girls think and talk. "That's great to know. Really, it is. But we'll need to stop him before he takes anything that could hurt our profits."

Muffy looks at me. "Jill, could you please help us? Since you've dealt with him before and all?" I nod, kind of excited to be seeing that boy again.

The hint of a smile plays on Griffin's serious face, but he tries to keep himself looking neutral. "Great. We'll need the extra person. Come here between ten and midnight, I'd imagine that's when he gets here."

I wasted the rest of my day, not doing much of anything. I let my animals back into their homes late that evening, after I'd eaten a nice dinner. It seemed time was moving so slowly, waiting to go to the Blue Bar. Which was stupid, time only goes slowly when you're waiting for something, and I was definitely not waiting for anything. _How long are you going to try to kid yourself, Jill? You know you like him. _No. I wasn't going to like him, ever. He's a thief! That's dumb to like a criminal. He was such a player, anyway, and I was sure I couldn't be the only girl he spoke to like that. _Stop trying to come up with reasons to not like him, you can do that all day for anyone. Open up. _I shook my head to clear my mind of visions of silver-haired boys, and realized it was time to head to the bar.

Once I arrived, Griffin had already formulated a plan so that we could keep watch over as much of the bar as possible. He was to take the outside perimeter, Muffy would keep watch in the back room, and I'd stay in the main area. By eleven, we were all split up into our positions and were waiting.

The front door opened, bell tinkling, distracting me from twiddling my thumbs up near the counter. Waiting was seriously boring… A silver-haired boy strolled in, without a care in the world, and flashed a knowing smile. "Hello, beautiful. I told you I'd be seeing you soon."

I got up out of my chair and walked to the middle of the room, meeting him before he could get to anything worth taking. "Skye, don't steal anything here, okay?" I tried reason first.

He giggled, and winked at me. "Oh, Jill, you wouldn't believe I'd come here and leave empty handed, do you?" I shrugged, not really knowing what he'd do- he was incredibly unpredictable.

"Just don't. Seriously."

Skye sighed, almost sadly, and said, "Jill… I really hate doing this to you. I do, I promise. And I'll be waiting for you again, to see you. But…" He pointed a finger at me and stepped back. I was very confused, and didn't have time to say anything before he yelled, "Chick beam… FIRE!" I tried opening my mouth to say something, anything. But I was _frozen._ I wasn't scared, just uncomfortable, and really pissed off. "I'm so sorry, Jill, I really am, like I said. But… it's necessary." The thief slowly walked by me and stroked my cheek with his hand softly before focusing on the counter.

_Of course. I'm frozen, and can't even talk, but I can still blush. Great. _Skye swiftly hopped over the counter, and grabbed a bottle of some liquid. He flashed me a peace sign, ran his hand over my shoulders, and left. Feeling finally returned to my limbs once he'd left and shut the door, and I yelped, "Guys! Guys!"

Muffy and Griffin came running into where I was. "Nobody's in here…" Griffin said, confused.

"No… He was. He took a bottle. I don't know what it was. I'm sorry. This will sound unbelievable, but he yelled something at me, and I was _frozen. _I literally couldn't move…" I was scared they wouldn't believe me and that they'd think I had just let him take whatever his heart desired.

To my surprise, Muffy threw her arms around me and exclaimed, "Jill! I'm so sorry! We shouldn't have left you alone! A bottle isn't worth anything compared to your safety!"

I laughed and hugged back. I was really just glad that nobody was mad at me, and to tell the truth, I didn't care too much about the missing bottle. I was sure Griffin and Muffy had many more back in storage, and they didn't look too terribly concerned either.

I left, after Griffin and Muffy asked one last time if I was okay. I decided I'd take a leisurely walk around town, figuring I didn't have much work the next day. No more than normal, anyway. After a block or so, I had this strange suspicion that I wasn't alone. I looked over each of my shoulders- nothing. I turned completely around, and saw nothing. I faced back forward, and had to stifle a shriek seeing a familiar thief little but a foot in front of me.

He flipped some hair away from his eyes and took a step forward, minimizing the already little amount of space between us. "I'm glad you're okay," He cooed, and I pushed him aside, trying to keep walking.

"No, you aren't, or else you wouldn't have frozen me." I was kind of mad, but I really just wanted to push his buttons. We were near Turtle Pond, and I sat on a large rock. Skye followed me, and sat on the ground, in front of me. I couldn't help but notice that he was as tall as I was at that moment, even though I had a rock to boost my height. I refused to look him directly in his violet eyes, scared I'd get lost in them and lose my edge.

I could feel Skye looking at me, almost as if his eyes were drilling holes into the side of my head. "I really do just want to talk to you. You're a pretty face, but what's that without a personality?" Skye said, trying to get me to open up.

I still wasn't talking, trying to be coy, and he waved a hand in front of my face. _What was that… On his hand…? _I saw a mass of colored string that looked very familiar. I grabbed his arm to get a closer look. "If you wanted to hold my hand, you could've just said so," Skye said, smirking.

_It was Chelsea's bracelet. How did he take it? _I noticed the knot was loose, so I pulled it off of Skye's arm. Tears welled up in my eyes, from thinking about my best friend who I'd lost so many years ago. I couldn't let him see me cry, I'd be humiliated. Not sure whether it was because I was embarrassed, or just so mad he had taken an object so sacred to me, I got up off of my rock and sprinted back to my ranch, not even giving Skye the satisfaction of one look back.

I'm pretty sure there's now a very lonely and very dumbfounded thief sitting on the ground by Turtle Pond.

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**Author's Note: I'll be ridiculously busy the next few weeks, so I'm really sorry if I can't update daily, but I'll try. If nothing else, I'll try for at least a few times a week.**

**And after that, 2 weeks in vacation. That's going to be a definate hiatus if I'm not done by then. I'm sorry! :/**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_"Hey, Jill, guess what?" My best friend asked me as we were both sitting together on her farm, at her island. I helped her with it from time to time, but I usually just lived in one of the small houses near the lake. _

_I racked my brain, knowing I probably wouldn't know the answer to her question- She was so random and carefree, and she probably just made something up on the spot. "Um, another cow got loose?" _

_"No, silly!" She threw her arms in the air and laughed. "I made you something!" She pulled out a mess of blue, red, yellow, and white string. _

_I tried to figure out what it was, but really had no clue. I knew her feelings wouldn't be hurt if I asked… "Chelsea, I really like the color combination… But… What is it?" _

_She tied it loosely around my wrist. "It's a friendship bracelet! Eliza makes them all the time… She tried teaching me how to, but it, uh, doesn't look quite right. I thought I'd give it to you anyway." I admired her- She took pride in everything she did, even if she messed up._

_I smiled at it. The bracelet was kind of cute, actually, if you looked at it the right way. "I love it! Anyway, it's the thought that counts. Not, uh, the quality." Chelsea giggled. _

_"Let's go inside, Jill, it's hot out and I've already done the chores." I was a little surprised she didn't want to go and see Denny, the local fisherman whom she was dating at the time, since we were always over at his house. He was a good friend of mine, so it wasn't totally awkward, except when they got all couple-y. _

_"Sure… It is hot." We walked inside, and suddenly Chelsea fell on her bed. Her face turned red, and she started to cry. _

_"Jill! It hurts so bad!" The doctor was now by her side, and Denny was standing by me. Chelsea was looking worse and worse by the second. I started fidgeting with my bracelet, scared of what I knew could happen._

_Denny turned to me, tears in his eyes. "Will she be okay? I don't want to lose her!" The doctor turned around, hearing Denny's voice._

_"She wants both of you to go talk to her." The doctor sounded so cold, so unfeeling. Did he not care that our best friend/girlfriend was dying?_

_We walked up to her bed. She looked at Denny first. "Denny… I love… you. You've been… great." It was growing hard for her to talk, and the tears spilled over and down Denny's cheeks. _

_"I love you too. I always have." He squeezed Chelsea's hand. She looked at me. _

_With all of her might, she managed to speak, "Jill… You're my… best friend. I'll miss you… Both… of… you…" Her eyes closed, and the world went black._

I shot up in bed. Tears had soaked my pillow and were all over my face. It was all a dream… But it wasn't. Chelsea had died, and that nightmare had been recurring ever since. It's what caused me to leave that small island- Leave Denny, leave all of my friends, and leave her ranch. It inspired me to create a farm. But I didn't want to restore her farm… I wanted it to always be known as _hers. _I fingered my knotted bracelet on my wrist, making sure it was still there. Skye could never understand why it hurt so much… I started crying again.

"Chelsea! Why'd you have to go, so suddenly? Don't you know how much you hurt me? You hurt Denny and everyone else, too. Where are you?" Of course, there was no answer. Eventually I fell back asleep and woke up the next day. I did chores as usual, and went to dig at the excavation site.

My mood dampened from the nightmare, I had to fake cheeriness as I called out "Hello!" when I visited the tent that was home to Flora and Carter.

Expecting a friendly reply, I was a little shocked to hear, "What do you- Oh, it's just you Jill. Come in." Carter was clearly upset, and I wanted to chew him out for being short with me, but it seemed like Flora had beaten me to it.

"Carter! You can't yell at Jill like that! She didn't know!" Carter blushed and mumbled an apology.

Confused, I asked Flora, "I don't know what?" Carter held up a piece of paper and my stomach dropped. _Please don't be from Skye, please don't be from Skye. And if it is, don't ask me to help. I'll say no!_

"That no good, piece of trash thief… Who does he think he is? Phantom Skye?!?" _Of course. _He handed me the note. I instantly recognized the handwriting.

_Carter and Flora-_

_I'll be stopping by tonight to take something valuable from the mines tonight. Don't try stopping me, I can assure you that you won't. _

_-The Phantom Skye_

I rolled my eyes. He was always so conceited; so sure that he'd get what he wanted. "Yeah," I said to Carter, "all of his notes seem to be like that. The Villa and Blue Bar have both gotten those notes, and he went to both locations like promised. He's kind of sneaky, I guess, and he can do this weird-ass beam thing that freezes people on the spot."

Carter looked at me in disbelief. "Save the melodrama, kid." I glared back at him. I never really liked him all that much, and I didn't really get what Flora saw in him. But to each her own…

Speaking of Flora, she stepped in and broke the tension. "Actually, I think Jill's right. She's not being dramatic. For one thing, as long as we've been friends, she's never told a lie. And Muffy told me something about the thief freezing people…" She looked deep in thought.

I stuck my tongue out at Carter when he wasn't looking, to get my revenge. I could be childish at times, but who isn't? He turned back to me right after my tongue was back in my mouth, and I smiled innocently. He glared. What a shock. "Ugh… Jill, I hate to ask this, but can you come here tonight and help us?"

I sigh. I _really _don't want to see Skye. And I'm not sure why- it's like I'm partly mad at him for taking my bracelet. But he couldn't have known how important it was to me, and I have no idea what his reasoning was. Or maybe I was just embarrassed because he'd seen me crying, and I hate when people see me cry. I figured I'd scared him away, and I was kind of shocked that he was even coming back to the town. Unless… He didn't expect to see me. Maybe I should stay out of the way…

Right when I open my mouth to decline, Flora chimes in. "Please, Jill, you could really help!" I can't abandon Flora, she's one of my best friends and one of the sweetest women in the village.

In defeat, I mutter a barely audible "Sure." Flora looks excited, and even Carter almost smiles. We agree that I'll meet them in the tent that night at 11:00, and go on from that. I leave their small tent and go to the excavation site to dig things up. I find a pretty pink necklace, and keep it in my pocket. Maybe I could sell it, so that I could get a meager profit for the day. It's better than nothing…

I went to my house, more exhausted than I thought from staying up so late the past few nights. I must've dozed off, because suddenly I opened my eyes and was lying on my bed, and it was time to go to Carter's. _I never shipped my necklace! The shipment (or lack thereof) was already taken… _I groaned and trudged over to the excavation tent.

"Jill!" exclaimed Flora as I walked in. Carter just looked annoyed, like he usually did.

I smiled and talked to her, but we were soon hushed by Carter. "Flora, Jill. This is serious business, okay? Stop squealing, he'll know we're here." He rolled his eyes obnoxiously and grabbed his head.

Even Flora, who was one of the most serene and laid back people I'd ever met, glared at Carter for a second. I glared at him, but it wasn't something he wasn't used to. Ever since we met, we had basically always had a mutual dislike for each other. I pitied Flora for having to put up with his behavior every day, but I guess love is blind… And deaf… And very, very tolerant.

Flora and I were being very well behaved and somehow managing to keep ourselves silent when Carter jumped up again. "What?!" I said harshly, "what are we doing wrong now? Are we not sitting quietly enough? What is your problem?!"

"No, Jill! Pull your head out of your ass! He could be robbing us of artifacts in the caves! Flora, come with me, we have to investigate!" The couple ran out of the tent in a frenzy, sprinting for the excavation area. I was left alone, yet again, to be found by the "Phantom Skye." I figured though, honestly, if he were smart he would go to the caves and I'd just have to sit here.

I was looking through Carter's things and getting very bored when my nose picked up a familiar smell- The spiciness of curry, mixed with a sweeter saccharine scent, creating a very sultry smell. I knew that smell. _He _was here, and would probably enter the tent. Fear, humiliation, anger, and even some sadness swirled around in my stomach, and I thought I'd be sick.

The tent door opened and I let out a small scream. "Jill…?" That familiar, smooth tone of his voice drifted through the air.

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**Author's Note: Hope you enjoy it so far! :) I've discovered I really like writing. This is fun. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I rolled my eyes. _Why couldn't he have just gone to the excavation site?! _I should've guessed. If I didn't want to see him this bad, I should've just said no when I was asked to help. "Jill…?" He repeated again, my back still turned to him.

I turned around and saw him. Skye. His beautiful silver hair flowing down his back, his green eyes focused on mine, and his confident stance all too appealing. I wanted to sound calm and sure of myself, but I failed miserably. Skye was always good making me mess up…

"W-What?!" I blurt out, sounding insecure and uncomfortable. "Why are you here…?"

The thief smirked. "I left a note, didn't I?"

I sighed. He was right, it was stupid to ask why he would be here. "I thought… maybe you'd go to the excavation site… Nevermind." I blushed and looked at the ground. The tears were already forming. _What the hell is wrong with you, Jill? You're always so headstrong and… This is so unlike you._

"Jill… won't you look at me?" Skye said, his voice surprisingly soft. "I came here… For you. Not for anything that belongs to Carter and Flora. They don't find anything valuable, anyway. You're the most valuable thing I can ever imagine."

A single tear hit the floor. I hoped Skye wouldn't notice… "I-I can't look at you Skye… Okay? And… I-I don't want you to see me right now." I dared looking up through my eyelashes. Another tear fell. But not because I was embarrassed. Because Skye had a look on his face that was undeniably pain. That tear fell because Skye was standing there, looking miserable, _because of me._ "Um… Actually, I, uh, wouldn't totally mind if you stayed…"

Skye smiled a sad smile. "Are you okay? Why did you run away last time? All I wanted to do was talk…" I wiped my eyes, but more tears were on the brink.

"Let's go to the beach." I managed this quite confidently considering the circumstances. Skye nodded and took my hand. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up slightly and walked a little behind Skye, scared I'd trip over something in the dark. He looked back every few steps to make sure I was okay, and it was tough keeping up with him sometimes. He was so agile, the way he'd step over obstacles without even looking. I guess it was because of his experience in walking around at night; being a thief and all. Soon enough, I could hear the sound of waves crashing against the edge of the shore, and the air turned salty and breezy.

Skye sat down near where the water was meeting the sand, and pulled me down since our hands were still together. I stumbled to the ground, and Skye laughed and mumbled an apology. His expression then became more serious, and he asked again, "So, tell me now Jill, why did you run? Is it because of the bracelet? Were you angry?"

I stared at my feet and stayed silent for a minute. I felt a nudge in my side. "Um… Well. I guess… I was angry. And I cried. And I was embarrassed that I cried. I don't want you to see me like that."

Skye's soft fingertips brushed my cheek. I was overly aware of how close we were sitting, of how his other hand was still clasped to mine. "It's okay, darling. I'll never think of you in a bad way. No matter how I see you. Teary or not, you're still so beautiful."

I couldn't help yelling, "You say that to every girl you meet! Stop trying to seduce me, okay?" Skye's hand started to slip out of mine, but I was surprised that I squeezed his hand and he intertwined his hand with mine again.

"S-sorry." Skye muttered. Had I made him feel unconfident? I thought I'd never see the day…

I sighed. I hated seeing him upset. "Skye… You don't understand. That bracelet you took… My best friend made it for me. My best friend, Chelsea…" I felt my voice quiver and tears sprang to my eyes. This time, it was Skye who squeezed my hand. "She… I used to live on an island with her. She got… Really sick. She died. It's the only thing I have left to remember her by. I left the town, and came here. I don't have anything else of hers; I haven't even talked to her old boyfriend since she's died. I was mad you took it." Tears were flowing down my face now, and I didn't bother wiping them off. I wasn't embarrassed anymore, I couldn't go back. "And I was so upset… Not even because you took the bracelet, but because it released all of those feelings of sadness. How I felt when Chelsea died. How nothing will be the same. And then… I ran away."

My face was soaking wet and my cheeks flushed; I was a mess. Skye looked at me, and in his face I recognized concern and sympathy. "Jill… I never knew… I'm so, so sorry…"

I smiled through the tears. "It's… It's f-fine. You didn't know. I'm not mad anymore." Before I knew it, my hand was empty, and there were two warm arms around my waist, and I could feel supportive arms on my back. Instinctively, I put my arms around Skye's neck and he pulled me in closer. I rested my head in his neck, on his shoulder. His shirt dried up my tears, and his touch instantly made me feel better.

"I hate seeing you sad…" Skye murmured, playing with my hair.

I sniffled, but at least the tears weren't running anymore. "I'm sorry you had to…"

Skye smiled. "Don't be. Let's talk about something happier. What do you want to do in your life?"

Somewhere between me apologizing and us beginning our conversation about our lives and dreams, we separated from our hug and were just sitting side-by-side on the beach. I thought about his question for a little while before answering. "Well, I'm really dedicated to owning a farm. I mean, I love it. I love growing things and I love keeping animals… I guess I love being surrounded by life. But… I want to get married and have a child or two. I've always imagined being a mom and a wife…" I sigh. "But… all of the men even close to my age are married off in Forget-Me-Not Valley. And nobody ever comes here… So… Maybe my dream won't come true."

Skye flashed his brilliant smile. "Don't think that, dreams are there for a reason. Darling, I'll make sure your dream comes true." He winked at me, and I blushed. He was such a charmer…

"What's your dream?" I asked him, curious, since he was so focused on dreams.

He smiled again. "I know it sound weird, since I'm such a great thief and all, but… I've always wanted to be a curry chef. Ever since I was a little boy, I've been experimenting with curry recipes."

I laughed. "That's great! I always wondered why you had a faint smell of curry. I guess that explains it." We kept talking about our hopes and dreams, and possible futures, and I didn't even know what time it was since I used the sun to tell the time. Involuntarily, I yawned in the middle of one of our conversations.

Skye stood up and stretched out his hand. "Jill, I'll walk you home, it's really late, and you're tired."

I smiled and pulled on Skye's hand to stand up. He put his arm over my shoulders and we walked back to my home. I guess he'd never seen it; he looked at me and said, "I never told you that I really like your house. I may have to come here again one night..." I blushed and giggled.

"Goodnight Skye…" I said, kind of sad to see him leaving. I pushed open the door, expecting him to leave, until a voice called out behind me.

"Hey Jill?" Skye's voice rang out from behind me. I turned around and looked at Skye expectantly. A pair of soft lips graced my forehead, and with a final "Goodnight" from Skye, he was walking away.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter seems filler-ish, I'm exhausted. :/**

**I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

In bed that night, I kept thinking about the kiss on my forehead. I could still feel exactly where his lips pressed against my skin, and I blushed whenever I thought about it. In a way, I knew I was falling-and hard- for Skye, but I didn't want too. He was such a lady-killer; why was I supposed to think I wasn't just another girl he was stringing along for fun? But it felt so real, and he was so much more different than he usually was… He was soft and quiet, instead of showy and cocky. I don't really know, I just remember having this gut feeling when he kissed me that everything was alright and for that second, I was perfectly happy.

I really was tired though, and soon I drifted off into a deep sleep, my good mood reflected in my dreams. I hadn't had any more nightmares for a while, and sometimes I'd even dream about Skye. (Not in _that_ way, I'm not a pervert.) Mostly when I did dream about him, it was just us walking together, or having a picnic, or petting an animal. They didn't last for a long time. I awoke the next morning completely refreshed, despite the previous late night out, and was actually excited to do my chores.

I hummed and bopped around while doing my watering, animal care, and cleaning of the fields. Some sprites were passing by, and I waved and stopped to talk to them. Even when I went into the village, the townspeople noticed I seemed so much happier.

"Someone got bitten by the love bug…!" Celia squealed when I smiled and greeted her at her farm after I had finished my work.

I blushed. "No! What would make you think that? And with who, anyway? Every boy here is married…"

Celia smiled at me warmly, like she always did. "Because. You're never this cheery. Something must have happened, like, overnight or something."

_Oh, if only she knew how ironic it was that she said something had happened "overnight." And am I really that grouchy all the time that makes my behavior today seem so unusual? I'm just happy…_ "Well, last night I slept very well, and I guess the visit I got last night didn't hurt…"

Celia raised an eyebrow. "You know, since you mentioned a visit, I do recall Flora telling me that you seemed to have disappeared while helping her and Carter watch out for the Phantom Thief."

Oops. "I guess I'll tell her where I went later. I went to the beach, if you must know."

Celia giggled. "Alone?"

"No…" I mumbled, blushing, while staring at my shoes.

Celia smiled and had me go to her room where we could talk privately. "Spill everything, Jill; I know something must have happened with you and that thief. Who I've even yet to see, but he seems to be quite the topic of conversation in the town lately."

I gasp. "Are people suspecting anything?!" Celia shakes her head, signaling that people aren't. I calm down. "Okay, good, because nothing like that is happening. He's a friendly guy…"

Celia held my hand gently. "Jill. It's okay to tell me if you like him, I won't tell anybody. I think it's actually quite romantic, the farmer girl falling for the thief… The hardworking girl and the bad boy." Her eyes glazed over as fantasies and stories flooded her mind.

I beamed, not able to help myself. "Okay, Celia, I really like him! Like, I've never felt this way before. I constantly find myself thinking about seeing him, and I always want to be with him. He's gorgeous; I'll make sure you see him sometime."

Celia giggled and smiled some more. "I knew it! That's so cute, Jill!"

As much as I tried to maintain the image of being mature and hardworking, I loved to gossip and share secrets with my best friends as much as any girl. Considering Celia was my very best friend, of course I told her about my exciting night.

"Well, Celia, since you were asking about last night, here's what happened: So, I guess that Flora told you that I was enlisted to help her and her husband catch Skye. Since he always leaves a note and anything, we knew he was coming, but then Carter realized that he might have been robbing the excavation site while we were all waiting in the tent, and so he left with Flora. Right after I left, Skye came in and told me that the only reason he visited was to see me. He wanted to go somewhere more private, and where Carter wouldn't be able to find him, considering his deep hatred for the thief. And we went to the beach. We kind of just ended up there. And we talked about our futures…" I thought for a minute, struggling to remember all of the specifics. "I told him I was scared that I'd never find someone. He told me I would."

Celia interrupted. "He likes you!"

I laughed and said, "Calm down, he's kind of a charmer. He'd probably say that to any girl, even if they were a total stranger to him and he had absolutely no interest in them." Celia suggestively wiggled her eyebrows and I continued my story. "Anyway, I talked about farming, and he told me his childhood dream was to become a curry chef. And then I started to feel really tired, and I still don't know what time it was. So he walked me home… A-and… He kissed my forehead…" A dreamy smile crept on my face and I touched the exact spot where he had kissed me.

"Ohmygod! Jill! That's huge!" Celia yelled, suddenly very excited. I couldn't do anything but blush. "I'm so happy for you! Oh. My. God. You two are going to be _the _cutest couple!" I laughed at how excitable Celia was, and changed the subject before she peed her pants.

Later that night, when I went home, I couldn't sleep. It was around eleven, and so I decided to take a walk. I walked to the pond, because I knew that Skye frequently visited there. To my surprise, I was alone at the pond, except for the Goddess who lived deep in the pond. I sighed and walked back home.

The next few nights, I did all of my chores with cheer, still on some high from the small goodnight kiss so many nights ago. Every night, I'd walk to the pond, half-expecting to see him there. He never showed up. Eventually, cheer turned to apathy, which turned to dread. Hope turned to reluctantcy and then pessimism. It was now Summer, and I hadn't seen Skye in at least two weeks. He hadn't even left anybody a note recently, and I began to assume he'd stopped visiting this town altogether. I didn't have the slightest idea why, and I was scared to death he had found someone else. _He could probably have any girl he wanted… Why would I ever think I'd be that girl?_

Since it wasn't Spring anymore, and those crops wouldn't survive in this weather, it was time to go and buy more seeds from Vesta's farm for the appropriate season. "Hello, Jill! Anymore good news to tell me?" Celia asked when I entered the building from which I always bought seeds, and her question made me feel even more down. I guess my face showed my feelings, considering I was never really that good at hiding my feelings, and Celia said, "Oh…"

I tried to smile, but I'm sure it ended up looking painfully fake. "Well, actually, Celia… I'm here to buy some Summer seeds. I need some new plants, and the ones I have now are so last season!" I said, attempting to make a joke. I'll admit, it wasn't a funny joke, but Celia was so nice and pretended to laugh anyway.

While she was listing all of the available seeds, our attentions were caught when a very large woman burst through the door. "CELIA! MARLIN!" Celia stopped naming the crops and turned to face Vesta. I could hear Marlin's rushed footsteps running down the stairs behind us, and within seconds he was standing next to his wife, catching his breath.

"Yes Vesta?" Celia asked pleasantly, always one to remember her manners while around the mannish and intimidating woman.

Marlin, on the other hand, was more laid back and didn't care so much about his manners. He just answered with an uninterested, "Mmm?" Or, maybe he just couldn't talk much because he had used all of his energy sprinting down the stairs.

Vesta's face had a familiar anger to it, and in her hand she was waving an equally familiar piece of paper. Celia took it, and smiled at me. Marlin held it, and said, "Does anyone else think this smells like curry? Stupid."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late-ish update! I was out of town, tired, busy... Basically every excuse you can think of. I hope you didn't mind waiting, and I swear this will get more exciting soon! ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

I smiled on the inside when Vesta waved that note, and when I smelled that familiar curry smell, because I knew that it meant Skye would be in town tonight. And I couldn't wait to see him again.

Vesta, in a huff, read aloud the note but I was too distracted thinking about the thief to care about what the note said. This time, instead of being asked to help, I jumped right in. "Vesta?" I said, maybe a little too excitedly, "can I help to catch him tonight?!"

Vesta seemed a little bit taken aback by my eagerness, and she was maybe even suspicious. I could tell though that the majority of her feelings were grateful. "Of course, we'll need all of the help we can get."

I nod, and say that I'll be back at the farm at around ten.

"Wait," Marlin says, and I'm a little shocked that he's even speaking. He hardly spoke to anyone except for Celia, and even then he was pretty quiet for a husband. I tilt my head at him, acknowledging that he'd said something. "Haven't you seen this thief before, Jill? Like… You've helped other people try to catch him? And don't you end up missing sometimes?"

This was probably the most I've ever heard him say at one time. I nod and smile. "Yep! And when I went missing it was because… I… Uh… He kidnaps sometimes?" _Great job, Jill. Now they're going to think that he's here to kidnap someone. Someone's going to panic…"_

"KIDNAP?!" Vesta yells, almost making Celia and I fall over. I'm guessing Marlin was used to this or wasn't listening, because he looked so apathetic, and didn't even flinch. I blush and scratch the back of my head, unsure of what to say next. I was too scared that I'd make the situation worse, and I didn't want Vesta to tackle Skye or anything. She was a scary woman.

Luckily for me, Celia stepped in just in time. "Chill out, Jill's never been hurt, and she's not afraid of him, so maybe he just wanted to talk to someone?"

Vesta still looked angry. "Well, there's better ways to do that then by going around taking people. Anyway, thanks for offering to help Jill, I'll see you later. Marlin! We have much more work to do!" Marlin and Vesta left the small building and went to make more seeds. Celia grabbed my arm in concern.

"Jill! I have a feeling Vesta won't be very nice towards Skye…" She loosened her grip just a little bit and looked at me with more of a smile. "But she's not very smart, and he's never been caught. Oh, I so want to meet your boyfriend!"

I blushed. _Skye's not my boyfriend! I don't think, anyway… I mean, I've had boyfriends before, and they always asked. He hasn't asked. Does he need to…?_ I managed to stutter out, "Um, h-he's not… my b-boyfriend?"

Celia looked very confused now. "But… Didn't he kiss your forehead? And the way you meet up is kind of like you're secretly dating…"

"Honestly, Celia, I don't know what we are. I could ask… I guess… But isn't that awkward? I don't know what he thinks. At all." Celia giggled and shrugged. "Alright, well, I'm going to go home for a little while and come back at night. See you then!"

"See you Jill!" Celia called out. And then whispered just so I could hear, "And I'll see your boyfriend!" The last bit was in a sing-song voice, and I ducked my head while walking away so that nobody could see me blush. I'll admit, I wouldn't mind at all calling Skye my boyfriend. I only wish I knew what his feelings on all this were… And I was scared that he was such a charmer, but for fun, and that he'd never date just one girl. It was a scary thought, thinking that he was only playing with me, wanting only something physical…

At promptly ten o'clock, I knocked on the door of Vesta's farm. Marlin answered the door, silent as usual, and we all waited inside of the small building. "Okay," Vesta said, "Celia and Marlin, you guys will go to one side of the farm and Jill and I are gonna go to another. Holler if you see the thief. Jill, what does he look like?"

I answered without any thought. I didn't need to; I knew exactly what he looked like from memory. How can a girl forget? "He has silver hair down his back and large emerald eyes, and he wears this crazy leopard-print shirt. And purple pants! He's stylish." Vesta gave me a weird look and I blushed a little bit.

"Jill, are you saying you have a crush on a thief?!" I pretended to look shocked.

"No! I'm allowed to think an outfit is stylish though, aren't I?" I asked, sounding too defensive.

Vesta shrugged. "I guess so. Anyway, we aren't going to let him get away with anything now, are we?" We all shook our heads in answer. After running through the plan a second time (which I found pretty simple), Celia, Marlin, Vesta and I went out into the field. Celia and Marlin went towards the south and Vesta led me to the northern fields.

We waited for what seemed like an eternity, and I almost fell asleep. Suddenly, Vesta nudged me awake. "Jill!" I jumped up, thinking that she had seen Skye.

"W-what? Is he here already?"

Vesta rolled her eyes. "'Already?' Jill, it's near midnight. Wake up." She was grumpy today, but I guess I could understand.

Celia's voice rang out clearly from her end. "Vesta! Jill!" We sprinted over to the southern fields and my heart skipped a beat. Skye was standing there, smirking at the four of us.

"Hello," he said in his suave voice. He nodded at me. "Jill, I seem to see you everywhere I go. I don't mind, you look beautiful tonight." I blushed, but thankfully the cover of the night shielded me. Vesta gave me a suspicious look and I shrugged. Celia beamed at me when Vesta's back was turned, and I smiled slightly. "So sorry I have to do this though… Chick beam-fire!"

Celia gasped and was instantly frozen. I tried wiggling my pinky… and I could. I raised an eyebrow at Skye, who sent me another wink. _He hadn't frozen me. But I have to pretend…_ "What did you do?!" Marlin yelled, brandishing a fist. Vesta was standing there, speechless, and I knew that underneath her tough exterior she was frightened.

I wasn't concerned with Vesta as much as Marlin, though. As terrible as it sounds, I was afraid he'd hurt Skye. I should've known better- when he charged at the thief, Skye merely sidestepped at the last second and Marlin tripped over a growing plant. Skye chuckled and ran off into the night, carrying a handful of vegetables. When he was gone, Celia could move, and so I figured I could stop pretending as well.

"Argh!" Marlin grunted, still on the ground. "I couldn't stop him… I'm so sorry, Vesta. Celia."

Celia cried out and rushed to Marlin's side, and they asked each other if they were alright. Both were fine, although Marlin did have a few scratches on his arm from the fall. We all turned to Vesta, who surprisingly hadn't said a word. I was expecting her to explode on all of us for failing to stop him, but instead she just said, "Well, nobody got hurt. And it won't really hurt our profit. Jill, thanks for helping."

I said it was really no problem and decided to leave. When I was walking to my farm, I heard a whisper through the trees. "Jill! Jill! Go to the pond. I'll meet you there." I smiled and quickly walked to the pond, to see the silver-haired beauty. He turned and smiled. "Jill, I'm so sorry I haven't been here lately. I was… Preparing for things."

"Preparing?" I ask, wondering what on earth someone as spontaneous as Skye would prepare for.

He smiled and ruffled my hair. "Don't worry yourself, you'll find out someday." I felt his strong arms tighten around my waist, and I pulled myself closer to him. I clutched his leopard-print shirt.

Without thinking, I said into his neck, "You know… I missed you…" I felt his arms leave me. _Shit, did I say the wrong thing? He doesn't care then…_

"Really? You missed me?!" I nodded sheepishly, hiding my head. A thin finger lifted my chin, and his face was extremely close to mine. "Good. Because I missed you too." I smiled, and threw my arms around him. I guess I was too excited, because I knocked him down, and we were lying on the ground. We looked at each other and started laughing, and Skye said, "You know… I could get used to this Jill…" He smirked, and I blushed, scrambling off of him. That was awkward.

He sat up and offered me a hand, so now we were sitting next to each other. He spoke quietly, "I promise I won't leave like that again. I'll come to see you every night, if you want."

I smile. "I'd really like that, Skye. You're a good friend." It was silent for a while, and when I looked at Skye, he looked deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

He looked at me. "Oh, just when you said that I was a good friend… Are we really only friends?" I shrugged and started dragging my finger through the pond's cool water.

"Are we?"

"I'd really like to be more, you know… Jill…"

Too eagerly, I perked up and said, "Really?!" Skye laughed at me. "I thought… That the things you say are just things you say to every girl you meet. I didn't know."

Skye looked at me seriously. "I used to. But ever since I met you… I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't wait to see you. I stopped even looking at other girls." I blushed. He was so sweet.

Suddenly, and I don't even know how it happened, Skye's hands were around my waist and his knees on either side of my legs. He leaned down, and I leaned back until I was lying flat, and my head was resting on the ground. I could feel Skye's warm breath on my face, and I could hear his heart beating. It was beating as fast- if not faster- than mine, and I opened my eyes wide, wanting this to have happened from the moment I saw him. It's unreal.

It was then that I closed my eyes, and I felt cool lips on my own. I wrapped my arms around Skye's back and pulled him close to me, and I felt Skye's tongue gently feel my lower lip. I opened my mouth slightly, and inside of it I felt his tongue, playing with mine. My hands moved from his back to his head, and I was intertwining my fingers in his silky hair. I felt his hands slide under my shirt… "Skye!" I said, half laughing, knowing he was just joking.

"Whaaaat?" He asked, faking innocence. I giggled. Then, a much more serious look struck his face. "Jill… I… L-love you."

My eyes widened at this, and I was tongue-tied. _He… Loves me?! What the hell am I supposed to say?!_

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**Author's Note: Sorry it took a few days! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was very fluffy haha. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Author's Note: So I've decided to move my notes up here, since it's more effective and easier to do. :) **

**If any of y'all read the Graire story that's also currently in progress, you'd know that I didn't die and I was gone in Florida for two weeks-**

**One weeks I spent at volleyball nationals in Miami and (bragging starts) my team is officially second in the whole USA! (end bragging) and then I went on a real vacation in another area of Florida for a little over a week.**

**But I promise I'm back, and I'll continue to write this story and the Graire one. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**I jumped when Skye said that, knocking him off of me and startling him. "I, uh, um, I think it's time that I go home… And it's been great, we should do this again sometime…"

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Skye stood up and brushed himself off, since when I'd pushed him he'd gotten maybe two specks of dirt on his ostentatious jacket. _The horror._ "Did I go too fast? You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, Jill. And I'd love to do this again, it was- no, you are- marvelous. All I ask is that you allow me the privilege of walking you home, babe." I smiled and eagerly took his outstretched hand, happier than he knew that he wasn't rushing me into saying anything.

Sure, this could definitely develop into more. But it's better to wait too long to say it than to jump the gun, right? I mean… I don't want to lie to myself or Skye. All too soon, we were at my familiar front door and I was suddenly more tired than I'd realized earlier. Not to mention how late it was, all of the night's excitement had really worn me out. "Night, Skye," I said, quickly giving him a goodnight hug and kiss.

The silver-haired boy smiled and ruffled my hair, kissed me back, and made sure I was safely inside before leaving to return to wherever he stayed during the daytime. I went to bed and awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed than usual. Something inside of me felt so right this particular morning, and I smiled because so far only I knew why. (I'd tell the girls later, of course, but for now it was just our little secret.) Even the farm work, which was usually exhausting and backbreaking, felt like a breeze. Had I really been missing such an important part of my life?

After breezing through work and cleaning up, I practically skipped all the way to Vesta's farm where I found Celia. We went to her room, and she immediately asked, "So… What happened?!"

I paused for dramatic effect, but even I couldn't stay quiet for more than a few seconds. "Well I hope you know I was never really frozen… It was kind of an act…"

"Jill!" Celia said, in shock. "It was so weird! I couldn't move at all!"

I laughed, glad that Celia wasn't mad, just surprised. "I mean I wasn't frozen last night, but I have been before. It is weird, but last night I had to pretend I was just so Marlin and Vesta wouldn't get more suspicious than they already were."

Celia nodded, understanding completely. "So what happened when you left? I'm assuming- actually, hoping- that you didn't just walk home alone and go to sleep…"

I smiled. "Welllll…." Celia was practically bouncing, which was quite odd looking considering we were both seated on her bed. "I walked part of the way home alone. And then a voice in the trees told me to go to the pond, you know, near the big tree with the sprites and the flowers that glow at night?" Celia nodded quickly. "Okay well he was there. And we hugged… A lot." I giggled, just now realizing how we spent the majority of our time at the pond clinging to each other.

Celia smiled wide. "That's great! That's so sweet… I must admit, he is quite handsome. And cunning." I smiled, wondering if I should tell her the rest. _She's your best friend, of course you should tell her. She told you every detail about her and Marlin…_

I waited a minute and said, "Well, there's more. Then… We were talking and he said he wouldn't be gone so much anymore. And I maybe kind of admitted I liked him… A lot… And…" Celia's jaw had dropped to the floor at this point, and I figured it'd be downright cruel to be suspenseful. "And we kissed and it was perfect!"

Celia squealed incredibly loudly, but I was expecting it and maybe even squealed back. We hugged and I couldn't _not _smile, and maybe when we were hugging this was pushed out of my mouth- "And he said he loves me!"

Celia let go and stepped back. "_Love?_ That's huge! Jill, what did you say?!" I blushed, recalling my less-than-suave reply.

"Um, I kind of said I had to get home. I mean, I don't think I've ever felt love and it's was too early to tell now. I mean maybe he falls hard and fast but I'm waiting. If I know for sure I love him, I'll say it." Celia nodded and agreed that I shouldn't say "I love you" back, because I might hurt him if I don't mean it. But really, who knows?

I stayed with Celia for a little while, and decided that maybe I didn't want to share the details of last night with every girl in town. _Geez, Jill, you make it sound like you guys had hot, passionate sex or something. _"Oh!" Celia said, stiffening her back so that she was taller. "Did you hear the news?"

Clearly, I hadn't. "News about what? That's pretty vague…"

Celia giggled. "Of course. You and Nami are always so literal… Anyway, construction is done on the path through the hill by our farm. It's really easy to get to the next nearest town, Mineral Town, by taking that path. And vice versa. I'd imagine we get many more visitors in the next few days, since everyone on both sides was excited for this."

I smiled, because I would never turn down an opportunity to make more friends- when I wasn't hard at work, of course. Farming came first, then the friends I'd already made. I wonder where Skye fit in? "That reminds me," I said, "I need to go and water my plants for a second time, since it's pretty hot out. See you later!"

"Bye Jill! Tell me if anything else happens!" I nodded and left, still cheerful on my way back to the farm, wondering if I'd get a visit from a thief that night.

When I arrived at my farm, I was quite surprised to see a group of people standing outside of my front door. I wasn't expecting visitors, and so when I went to unlock my front door, I said, "Um, hello? What are you guys doing here?"

As if choreographed, all of the people- all boys, I noticed- seemed to turn their heads at the same time. I quickly scanned the crowd to see a dark haired boy in a lab coat, a strawberry blonde with a hat, a nerdy looking boy with long orange hair, a lonely looking boy with a brunette ponytail, and a darker skinned boy who seemed to like purple. The purple-clad boy spoke first. "We're from Mineral Town and we wanted to say hi! Is it true you're single?" At this, the nerdy boy hit the back of his head.

"Way to be welcoming, Kai…" He muttered. "We just wanted to say hi to everyone. What's your name?"

I raised an eyebrow. From what I could tell, this Kai boy was a flirt. "I'm Jill. Who are all of you…?"

In some order, this is what I heard-

"Trent. I'm a doctor," said the dark haired boy in a lab coat. He seemed serious and focused.

"Grey," mumbled the boy with the hat. He didn't seem to want to be here at all, and it's a wonder he hadn't overheated from the long sleeved getup he was wearing.

"I'm Rick, pleasure to meet you!" Exclaimed the orange haired boy- who was nerdy, but at least friendly and trying to be inviting.

"I'm Cliff…" The ponytailed boy's voice was so soft I could barely hear it, and he seemed to be very shy and unsure of himself.

"Um, well, it's really nice to meet all of you. I have to do some work, though, so I'll see all of you later," I began to say, and most of the boys left.

To my surprise, Trent stayed. "I'd like to help, if you need it," he said, and I shrugged.

"Sure. I'm assuming you know how to water plants?" I giggled and the doctor nodded, and went to work after I filled the watering can for him. _Those Mineral Town boys all seem a little bit odd. Nice, but odd… Oh, I hope I get to see Skye tonight!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Author's Note: I hope you like this chapter- Once I started writing I just couldn't stop, so this chapter is a little longer than some others I've been posting recently. It's kind of fluffish, but I swear in the coming days it's **going** to get much more dramatic. ;)**

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**

I sighed and smacked my forehead with my palm. _This'll take all evening… _Doctor Trent was proving hopeless at watering. _Watering,_ for Goddess's sake! He was tripping and spilling water all over the field, and he nearly hit a chicken with the heavy can. He'd barely watered a quarter of my plants, and even the ones he had watered he'd skimped on and hadn't watered enough. "Am I doing a good job?" He asked, looking up from his work.

I didn't really care about hurt feelings right now, even though I should have been more polite to someone I'd just met. He had offered to help, after all. "No, not at all. Just… Let me do it. It'll go faster." For a split second, the doctor looked hurt, but he set down the can and went to take a seat near the man-made pond I'd had installed in my farm. In nearly a third of the time it had taken Trent to (barely) water his small patch, I'd finished the rest of the crops and re-done the ones he'd sprinkled. I put away the watering can and went to sit by him. "Sorry for being so… Harsh. I'm just really serious about my farm; it's the most important thing in the world to me. And I'm a little crabby since I've become more of a… Night owl lately."

Trent nodded. "That's not good for your health. You should be getting at least seven hours of sleep every night. Also, eat three square meals a day. Then you'll have enough energy." Typical doctor response. It was quiet for a minute, and then he spoke up again. "And I know what you mean about how important the farm is to you. I take my occupation very seriously and devote almost ninety-percent of my time to it."

"Yeah. Being a doctor would be tough; don't people rely on you to save their lives?"

Trent smiled. "Well, technically, yes. But the biggest crisis that's happened in Mineral Town is our local farmer worked too hard once and passed out. An overnight sleep in the clinic and a meal later, he was fine." I didn't know that I had competition in Mineral Town… "So, Jill, why have you become a night owl? Are you having trouble sleeping? I could prescribe-"

I cut him off. "No, it's not exactly a medical thing. I sleep just fine when I go to bed, it's just…" Should I tell him? I figure it can't hurt; everyone else will find out soon enough. And maybe if that Kai finds out then he won't be so forward… "There's this boy. He… His job only allows him to come out at night." That's better than saying he's a thief, right? Right. "And we're sort of… A thing."

A strange look passed Trent's face. It almost looked like jealousy, or anger, but I knew it couldn't be. He barely knew me, and from what I could tell he didn't seem like the kind of person who'd be crushing on Skye. Maybe he just had to sneeze, or he sat on something painful. "Mmm." Was all I got in response.

"Are you okay? You look weird." I said, clearly putting a lot of compassion into my concerned statement.

In a way that could possibly be described as creepy, the doctor smiled a little too wide and enthusiastically nodded. "I'm fine! No problem!"

"Ooookay. Well… I should go home now." In an attempt to make a getaway that wasn't too awkward, I completely forgot that I was already at my house. Shit.

Trent picked up on this too. "Well, we're already here…"

_C'mon, Jill, think fast!_ "Oh! Well it just felt so much nicer sitting here talking to you; it couldn't have been at my quaint home!" I flashed a flirty smile, feeling really grimy for doing so, but knowing it was probably my only way out of this mess. Trent's cheeks turned pink and he looked at the ground.

"Oh, understandable… Um, I'll see you again, okay?" I smiled and said goodbye, not leaving much room for continued conversation as I blatantly arose and briskly walked back to my house. I smelled gross since I had to do Trent's work for him, but I couldn't be too mad about it- I'd had to have done it anyway if he weren't there, but it certainly wouldn't have taken as long. I quickly showered, and thought about the new Mineral Town boys. Well, mostly the doctor. He was… Kind of weird. But dedicated. We could probably become good friends, as long as he didn't try to come between me and Skye. _Jill, you're so freaking conceited. You just assume he likes you_? I looked in the mirror and laughed at my messy, wet hair. I was being silly; he only wanted friendship and to explore a new city. I was sure that since the road opened, there would be tons of new visitors.

I ate a quick dinner and night naturally settled in. I heard a strong knock at my door, and did a quick double-take in the mirror to make sure I looked acceptable. I didn't know who was at my door, but I was hoping- and half expecting- it to be Skye.

I opened the door and… "Hello, Jill. You look absolutely darling, my love." The smooth-talking silver haired man seemed to glide into my home, and he closed the door behind him.

I wasn't shy about giving him a hug the moment I saw him. "Skye! I was hoping you'd come visit!" I nuzzled my face into his neck, and I felt a soft pair of lips grace the back of my head.

"Baby, you smell good…" Skye murmured. "Do you taste good, too?" He smirked, and my heart skipped a beat.

Coyly, I replied with, "Well… I guess you'd have to find out, wouldn't you?" And with that, Skye wasted no time crashing his lips into mine. It got a little hot and heavy, and somehow we went from standing near the door to stumbling across the room, and eventually I landed on my back on my soft bed- Skye on top of me. His kisses went from my lips to down the side of my neck, and he gently pulled down the neckline of my shirt to continue kissing down my collarbone. _How far does he plan on going? …And how far will I let him? _Thankfully, Skye stopped before I had to make that decision.

We cuddled for a minute, acting like such a lovey-dovey couple. Frankly, I enjoyed every second of it. "I like the way we're situated, Jill…" Skye practically sang, referring to the position we were laying in on my bed.

I giggled and playfully pushed him off. "Skye! You're such a pervert. That's all you want, huh?"

Skye smirked and pinned my wrists with his hands, and my legs with his knees. "Or… I could do my job and steal it…" He whispered in my ear. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, not from what he said, but from the proximity of his body and how sexy his voice could be. I knew that as much of a flirt he was, he wouldn't go farther than what I wanted. Hell, I don't even know what he wants. But… I have a pretty good idea.

Deciding to play along, I arched my back so I was pressing against Skye. "Mmm. Sounds illegal, doesn't it? I guess I'll need handcuffs for you…" Skye began purring in my ear, and he let go of my wrists to put his hands behind my head. We collapsed, and had another steamy make-out session.

Eventually, we did calm down and stopped acting like sex-crazy teenagers. (Although I promise it never got that far.) We both pulled ourselves into sitting positions, and Skye wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his chest. "So, my dear, what did you do today? I noticed the bridge was complete from the next town over…"

I nodded. "Yeah, I met a few of the people who live in that town. They seem nice, I guess. The doctor is a terrible waterer, though…" Skye cocked an eyebrow, confused. "He offered to help me with farming, so I let him water some crops… Bad idea." I explained, leaving out the details of just how bad at it he was.

Skye sort of smiled, but it looked strange- He'd suddenly stiffened and looked serious. "Jill… You promise I'm the only one, right?" I nodded. What was he getting at? "You promise… None of them…?"

I grasped what he was trying to say. "Skye. Please. The only one who bothers to get to know me is the doctor, and let's just say awkward is an understatement sometimes. Anyway, it's been one day. I'll probably never see any of them again." Skye seemed to relax, and I kissed his cheek to try and show that the only boy who had control of my heart was him.

"Well… You're a pretty girl. And I don't want any of them to hurt you. I don't like the sound of this doctor guy…" Skye startled snarling, and I tried to assure him that nothing would happen.

"You don't believe me…" I said, after saying over and over that he was my only. I faked like I was about to cry, and Skye finally gave in and softened. I took the opportunity to swiftly pounce, and this time I pinned his wrists and legs to the bed. "Sucker!" I shouted, and Skye grinned.

"I like this too, you know…" He said, hinting at how our position could be seen as sexual.

I smirked and let go of him. I looked at the clock- It was already three in the morning! "Shit…" I said, "waking up tomorrow will be a bitch…"

Skye got up and headed for the door. "I'm sorry I kept you so long, I'll go-"

"Wait!" I said, barely aware of what I was saying until it came out of my mouth. "Stay here…"

"What?!" Skye said, taken aback by the abruptness of my invitation. He blushed a deep red, and I read his mind.

I sighed. "Pervert! I'm not gonna sleep with you… Well, technically, I would, but I mean… We wouldn't have sex. But please? I want you to stay with me…"

Skye smiled and walked back over to me. I got under the sheets and patted the pillow next to mine, thankful that I'd bought a larger bed from the TV shopping network. The bed that came with the house was maybe fit for a small child, and it could barely hold one adult. Anything past my knees hung off the edges, and all of my sheets were loose on the bed.

I felt the bed concave, and then it bounced back. I rolled to face the disturbance, and I was greeted by a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. Skye's body curled around mine, making it feel as if we were one person. I felt a large hand ruffle my hair, and that's the last thing I remember before peacefully drifting off in the arms of the boy who loved me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The next morning I awoke surprisingly refreshed, considering how late I'd gone to bed. I'll admit it was a nice surprise though waking up next to Skye, but I was grossed out when I felt a wet spot right next to my head on the pillow- right under Skye's mouth. While I was getting ready, which I did in the bathroom just in case Skye woke up, I heard a heavy knock on the door. Luckily, I looked presentable, but wouldn't it be awkward if my visitor saw Skye…?

"I got it!" I called out, unafraid of waking up Skye because I was pretty sure the knocking woke him up. And indeed it had- He was grumbling and rubbing his eyes. Understandable, considering he's a practically nocturnal person. I smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek as I passed and he seemed to perk up. Until… I opened the door. "Good morning!" I said cheerfully before I saw who was even there.

Two young men were standing at my door; one who was in his familiar white coat and the other shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, messing with his brown ponytail. "Hello, Jill," Trent said, "we came to bring you some food. You know, sort of a welcoming."

I gave them kind of a weird look and accepted the outstretched something-or-other the doctor was holding out. I wasn't a pro with food, and all I could tell was that it was some multi-colored dish. "Um, thanks, but I've been living here for two years…" I said, confused. "Anyway, if you guys are here… Shouldn't you guys we welcomed into the valley? I mean, I'd be welcomed if I were in Mineral Town and I'm totally rambling right now. Nevermind, I just woke up."

The shy boy, whose name I'm pretty sure is Cliff, said, "S-sorry. I knew it was too early… And… I made the food. I-It's rainbow curry. I hope you like it."

I should've known the smell was familiar. Speaking of that smell, I felt a strong, lean body behind me as Skye casually placed his hand in the doorway so he could lean over my shoulder. "Hello," He practically hissed, "I'm Skye. Claire's _boyfriend."_

"Skye!" I whispered harshly, "Be polite!" The look on Skye's face made it pretty clear that he wanted to be anything but polite. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

Trent stretched out a hand to Skye, and said, "Hello. I'm Doctor Trent and this is Cliff. We're from Mineral Town." Skye just nodded, and he didn't shake the hand.

"You know, I think he can talk for himself," Skye then said, nodding towards Cliff, who blushed and looked downwards.

After a very long (not to mention terribly awkward) pause, it was Trent who decided that he and Cliff needed to leave. "Nice to meet you Skye. Pleasant seeing you, Jill." I smiled and waved, and Skye grunted. Once the two boys were gone from sight, I closed the door and leaned against it on my back.

"I don't like them." Skye said bluntly, not feeling the need to beat around the bush. "Actually, I don't mind the shy one. He's too embarrassed to ever make a move. And he considers himself in everyone's shadow- The classic inferiority complex. I feel bad for him. But the doctor thinks he's the shit. And he wants you, Jill; I saw it in his face." Skye was close to fuming mad as he said the last sentence, and it bothered it.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Skye. You can trust me- I promise I won't let anything to happen. I don't want anything to happen with anyone but you. But you can't let this be all you focus on, or else I'll feel like a shitty girlfriend. Okay? Anyway, I'm betting they think we totally got it on last night, so they won't mess with me. Happy?" I smiled and playfully kissed Skye's nose, hoping to convey that it'd all be fine.

Skye looked at me. "Mmm. Anyway, I can cook better than that guy." I smiled, but before I could reply, rough hands were around my back and familiar lips had collided with mine. My body was sandwiched between the door and the thief, and I knew it was just an attempt to make sure I was his.

I pushed him away, which was tough considering he was so much stronger. "Skye! Stop! I have to go do work anyway…"

Skye stepped back and smirked. "But you're so delicious, baby. Will I be back tonight?"

I looked at him quizzically. "I don't know, will you?" I asked, honestly.

He shrugged. "Only if one of _them_ isn't busy getting their way with you…"

"Oh, please. Drama queen. Maybe I don't want you to come tonight."

"Maybe I don't care, then," He retorted.

"I thought you loved me?"

"I lied."

"Dick."

"Bitch!"

"Ouch."

"Sorry…" I laughed at how suddenly Skye's face fell. I assured him that I was just kidding, and he instantly got perkier. "I have to go anyway; I'm missing out on valuable sleeping time. Love you!" He called as he rushed out the door.

Almost positive of how I felt, I whispered to myself, "Love you too, Skye…"

A few hours later, all of my farm work was complete, and I was all showered and clean, I decided to go to the Inn. When I first came here, I'd befriended Ruby and she'd promised I could use her kitchen whenever I wanted to, since I wanted to practice cooking. Since then, I've bought a kitchen for my house, but I'm still not very good and Ruby always has better ingredients. On the way, while I was walking, I saw Cliff on the same path. I figured I should make friends with the shy boy, since it seemed like he felt a little bit lost in our little village. "Hey Cliff!" I called out, jogging to catch up with him.

The boy's head was downward, and his hair completely covered. He seemed surprised that anyone was talking to him. "H-hi Jill. How are you…?"

I smiled warmly at the boy. "I'm great; actually, just going to Ruby's to practice cooking. I'm really quite terrible at it…"

"I wasn't going anywhere, really, just wandering… Do you want me to help you learn? I'm okay at it… I guess… I mean, it's nothing special…"

"Don't be so down on yourself!" I cheered, feeling a little awkward, considering I was usually more of a cynist than this. I showed Cliff the way to Ruby's kitchen, and when he saw all of the ingredients and cooking supplies, his jaw almost fell to the floor.

Once Cliff had inspected every inch of the kitchen, which he was thoroughly impressed with, he turned to me. "What do you want to make?" He asked casually. He seemed to be opening up more now.

I immediately had an answer. "I want to learn how to make cake. I never learned how. And… It's weird having to buy it to celebrate. I'd rather make it." Cliff nodded, and an hour later we had made a beautiful vanilla cake, which Cliff let me take home. "Thanks so, so much!" I said when I got home.

"If you wanna learn to make anything else… Then… Just tell me whenever I'm in town, okay?" I nodded.

Right before Cliff left, I decided that I'd be bold. "Let's be friends, Cliff. I consider you a friend, and I think you need a friend here. Okay? Okay." I swear I saw a smile on Cliff's red face as he walked away. That was satisfaction enough for me, and I was very pleased with my day as I walked inside and put the cake on the counter. If Skye came to my house tonight, then we could each have some. Maybe I'd even serve that curry dish- If Cliff made it, then it was probably pretty good. He acted like an expert in the kitchen.

Since it was early evening, meaning that Skye wouldn't be here for a couple more hours, I went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. A rare cool breeze was blowing, and so I sat against my only tree- A tall orange tree. "Mind if I join you? I have some questions for you." I jumped up, startled that anyone else was even on my property.

"Uh… Sure…" I said, when I saw Trent creep out from across the field. "What do you want to ask?" Let's be honest- Trent was beginning to scare me. I even wished for Skye to be there, because I always felt so protected when near him. Ironic, isn't it? Feeling safest when around a thief?

The doctor's stern voice snapped me out of thinking about Skye. "Did you have _sex _with that man last night?!" He seemed angry; even controlling, which pissed me off. He had no right feeling any power over me.

"What if I did? But I didn't, all that happened was we were hanging out at my house and we got tired and fell asleep." Okay, so maybe I stretched the truth a teensy bit. We didn't just "fall asleep." But we certainly didn't have sex, which was the most important part of all that.

The doctor nodded. "He's rude. I don't like him."

I looked at Trent. "Okay, well, I really care about someone's opinion of my boyfriend who I've known only for a day." This seemed to set off Trent, but he tried to hide it. There was but a flash of anger across his stoic face before he kept interrogating me.

"Whatever. What were you doing with Cliff?"

"None of your business…" I was feeling a little bit concerned now. This guy was practically stalking me! "I have to go…" Quickly, I got up and ran for my house, but I tripped when I felt a strong grip on my wrist pull me back into the ground. A loose twig had caught my arm, and I could smell the blood dripping from the gash. "Let go!"

The grip tightened, and I stared at the doctor with terror in my eyes. "Oh, Jill. You should be more polite. Learn not to run away in the middle of conversation. So- Where were we? Oh yes, you and Cliff."

I figured the best way to get out of this was to tell the truth and sprint later. "He was helping me bake a cake! I didn't know how to make one! Honest. Now just let me go… Please…" I was reduced to begging. This was humiliating. What kind of a doctor was he? Uncertainty was clouding my thoughts, scared of his next move, and I was surprised to feel his death-grip loosen and he said goodbye. "Bye!" I shouted, and ran for my house, making sure all of the doors were locked.

I looked at my arm, which was a mess, and didn't even care. My stomach was growling in hunger, but I wanted to save the cake for Skye. Bruises were surfacing on my wrist, and I could barely find the strength to walk. I sat on the floor and buried my head in my hands, and I wept for Goddess knows how long. My face soaked, I almost didn't hear the knock and call at my door some time later.

I hadn't noticed that it had gotten dark outside, and I quickly wiped off the tears. I opened the door to see my Skye, and ran into his arms. "Glad to see you too, Jill," he said, grinning. He kissed my forehead, and I led him to the cake.

"Look what I made for us." I tried being cheerful, but my voice came out monotonous and small.

It must have been then that Skye got a look at me, because his face suddenly turned to shock. I watched his eyes first look at my tear-stained face, complete with puffy red eyes. Then his emerald orbs went to my arm, which was still caked in dark red blood, and whenever I moved it too much fresh blood would drip out. Finally, his eyes saw the blue and black marks on my right wrist, and then they returned back to my face. In a concerned voice I'd never heard from him before, he asked, "Jill… What… What the hell happened?"

It was then that I completely broke down, bawling and screaming and sobbing. "Skye!" I shouted, "Please don't leave me alone. Please stay with me. I'm so scared!" My body was trembling vigorously, and I slid down against the wall so I was slumped on the ground. I could barely breathe, much less speak. "Please stay here… I'm… So… Scared."

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**Author's Note: The longest chapter yet, and VERY dramatic! So dramatic that even writing it, I couldn't stop. It's like 2:10 in the morning here, and I don't care, ha. :) **

**Also- I have nothing against the doctor, I just thought it'd be interesting portraying him this way. I know, he's very OOC in this story. But does anyone else just ever wonder about him sometimes having an evil streak? Maybe I'm just warped. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Skye gripped my shoulders, and I instinctively scooted backwards, scared of any man's touch. "Jill…" He said, his eyes showing his sadness and concern. "Please… I swear I won't hurt you."

I threw myself into his open arms then and just sobbed until my eyes were dry. "I'm scared of Trent, Skye… I-I think… He's gonna hurt me…" I felt a hand gently caress my back, and whispered murmurs in my ear. I gripped the back of his shirt in my small fists, and kept trying to bury my face in his neck (which smelled lovely, I might add.) Eventually, I didn't have any energy left to cry, and I pulled away from Skye.

Needless to say, Skye's face was a strange combination of both hatred and angry towards the doctor, and fear and concern for me. "I'll protect you. Always. And I'm going to be living here now, whether you like it or not."

I smiled, and already felt a little bit safer. I felt safe whenever I was with Skye, and now I'd have like this 24-hour protection. It was a huge relief, and the need to cry completely dissipated. "I'd like that a lot. But my bed is small…"

"Relax," Skye said, with the hint of a smirk playing on his face, "We've done it before and can do it again. In fact… We could probably get even closer…"

I giggled and gently slapped his arm. "Shut up! You could always just sleep on the couch, mister…"

"Sure."

"Or not," I added, wanting to feel his protective embrace and the warmth of being near him. To distract him, I added, "Do you want dinner? I learned how to make cake today, and so that's for dessert…"

Skye finally noticed the cake, since the first time I pointed it out he was just a tiny bit distracted by how much of a mess I was. He licked his lips hungrily and nodded, and I went to the kitchen and pulled out… Lunchables! "You can bake a cake, but you can't cook more than Lunchables right now…? He asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Nah. I'm too lazy. And Cliff taught me how to make the cake, beforehand I had no idea. So… Thank him if it's good, and if it's not then it's not my fault. Anyway, what do you have against Lunchables? Usually they don't suck. And these are the ham and cheese ones; so it can't get any simpler."

Skye hugged me and swayed back and forth. "Yeah. The girl I love is definitely a gourmet, huh? Maybe she can even stack the ham, cheese, and crackers to make a sandwich… But that might be too challenging. I'd better not ask that."

"You're so mean!" I said, defensive of my weaknesses. "Anyway, you're the curry chef, or so you say anyway. Shouldn't you be cooking dinner?"

"Not tonight. I'm tired. And you have _no _ingredients. Shame." I shrugged and opened my cold dinner, and began eating in the obsessive-compulsive way I always have. First, I eat all the crackers. Then all the cheese, and finally I eat the ham. I sipped the juice box that came with it occasionally, although really the small meal didn't make me very thirsty. Finally, it was time for the cake. I took out two hearty slices and put them on plates for me and Skye, praying to the Goddess that they would taste okay.

I watched Skye eat his first. My heart was pounding as he took a chunk of the chocolate cake with his fork, and slowly he brought it up to his lips. Closer and closer until… His face lit up, and I asked, "Is it good?" He nodded enthusiastically and I giggled, and ate mine too. _This is really good. I'll have to make sure to thank Cliff. I'm glad Skye doesn't mind me hanging out with him… But, Skye does have the notorious reputation of being a player. So the fact that I have one male friend shouldn't be that grating to him. Unless he's the jealous type…_

"So. Send my regards to Cliff, or whoever taught you this," Skye said, stuffing his face. "Wasn't he the one who seemed really shy and didn't talk? With the ponytail? He seems nice. Have him over one night."

"Oh-kay," I said, a little taken aback at Skye's fondness for Cliff. "He's a cook too, so that could be another excuse for me not to have to cook. Because when I cook, it's Lunchables, cereal, or canned soup if I'm feeling adventurous. And sandwiches. I guess."

"What an astounding array of dishes…" Skye mused sarcastically. We teased each other for the rest of the night, and eventually we fell asleep in my small bed together. (Again, I swear nothing more than kissing happened. But he sleeps in his boxers, and it was too tempting to not have dirty thoughts. A girl can dream.) I learned the next day that waking up was so much easier when it was with Skye, but getting out of bed was a lot harder. Not only because I didn't want to leave him, but the fact that he slept like a rock with his arm snaked around me didn't help matters much either.

Finally, I couldn't take it very much longer. I was awake and ready to go, and I'd gone outside and done my chores- it was nearly noon! Skye was still sound asleep, so I took matters into my own hands. I filled an old bucket with water, and dumped it on his silver head. "Shit!" He yelled, and jumped out of bed. "My hair!" I rolled my eyes and waited as Skye got a towel and dried off his hair. Then, he had to brush it. Finally, after primping in the bathroom, he came out and hugged me. "Good morning, baby. You know I love you, but that was so rude-"

I shut him up with a kiss, and he dropped the subject. "Um, Jill…" He said in a worried tone. "I have to get my stuff from… Where I lived. At least, if I'm going to live here, which I will to protect you. But it'll take all day, and I need you to be in the company of someone I can trust. In case _he _comes here." I nodded, sad that I'd have to leave Skye, but it'd only be a day. We had been apart for longer increments of time and I survived, so why not today? Oh, right- The crazed doctor who seemed to be on the brink of obsessive.

"Well who are you taking me to? Celia? Flora? Nami? Muffy? Lumina?" I asked, naming off every girlfriend of mine in the town. He shook his head, unsure. He grabbed my hand and we went for a walk in the town.

"Whoever we come across first that I deem acceptable," he said, and we kept strolling through town. "Isn't that Cliff?" He asked a short time later, and I looked up. Indeed there was Cliff, along with a boy with a hat who seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face. Skye called out Cliff's name, and we walked over to him.

"Hey, Jill! Hi, Skye!" He said, treating Skye as if they'd been friends for years. And maybe that was why I became friendly with Cliff so quickly- He was shy, sure, but he treated everyone as a friend.

Skye eyed the boy with the hat, whose name I remember being a color, suspiciously. I sharply elbowed his ribs to make him stop, and he turned his attention to Cliff. "Cliff. Can you take care of Jill for the day? It's an emergency."

Cliff's face looked very confused. "Um, she looks okay…"

Skye turned to me. "Jill. Can you explain?"

I sighed and took a deep breath in. "Okay, short version: The doctor is creepy. He is always following me and whatnot, and yesterday he grabbed my wrist. I tripped, he yelled at me…" I showed Cliff my arm with the cut and bruises, and he gasped. So did the hat-boy.

"Who are you?" Skye asked him curtly.

"My name's Gray…I'm a blacksmith in Mineral Town."

"Mmm." Skye said, uninterested. "Gray, what do you think of the doctor? Trent, or whatever his name is?"

Gray's face almost made me laugh. It twisted into a look of disgust and dislike. "Ugh. That prick? He thinks he's the shit because he's a doctor. Nobody in our town has ever even had a medical emergency, the most he's had to do is give a little boy band-aids. I can't stand him."

Skye smiled. "We'll be great friends. I'm Skye. I'm a thief." I rolled my eyes at Skye's overconfidence, but Gray didn't seem to mind. "Well, Jill, I have to go. I'll see you tonight, okay?" He bent down and kissed me on the lips, and I blushed. I waved bye as he ran off.

Cliff and Gray looked at me, unsure of what to do. "It's okay guys, just do what you were going to do. I promise it'll be like I'm not even there…" Uncomfortable, I bit my lip and twisted the thin bracelet on my wrist.

"Nah," Gray said, "We were actually looking for something to do."

"And we're gonna find out fast," Cliff added in a hushed voice, "Because I know for a fact that it sure as hell won't be at your farm. Trent mentioned to me that he was going there today to look for you."

I sighed. "Great."

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**Author's Note: Oh, the drama. Hope you enjoy; next chapter should be out soon! Thank you so much to everyone who's read and/or reviewed this story! (:**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Author's Note: I am so, so, so, SO beyond sorry that I've been gone for 3 months! Once school things started, it's like every excuse possible came up not to write. Volleyball, school, Glee (my favorite show), naps, etc. Anyway, I hope to update more often and make it up to anyone who still reads this story. I love anyone who reads this, feel free to review and/or send me a message!**

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"I'm bored," I whined as Gray, Cliff and I strolled around town- The part of town furthest away from my farm.

Gray rolled his eyes. I'd learned lately that he was funny, in a sarcastic and dry way. But he could barely put up with anything; I don't know if I'd be able to handle his company all the time. Cliff, on the other hand, tried to be accommodating. "I guess we could go play with the fireworks at Kassey and Patrick'. They go to Mineral Town around this time every day, so…"

I smiled. "Okay! That sounds fun." While we were walking, I realized that it was kind of creepy Cliff knew where the pyromaniacs went during the day. "Do you stalk them…?" I asked, and I heard a chuckle from Gray.

Cliff shook his head. "No, it's just that they would go visit Duke during the day, and I worked for him. Eventually, you figure out people's plans." I guessed that was alright, but another comment about people's daily lives and I felt I might have to get concerned. Soon enough, we had snuck up the rope leading into the twins' funky house-slash-workshop, and Gray was shuffling through boxes upon boxes of metal shells, bags of powder, wicks, and other knickknacks that just confused me.

"Um," I said, "is this safe? Like, I'm not one to be a buzz kill but do we know what we're doing?"

Cliff titled his head over in Gray's direction. "I'm a blacksmith apprentice. My grandfather does the fireworks for Mineral Town, so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing. I even make custom fireworks for my wife, Mary, who's afraid of everything. So you can trust me." Something about Gray made me feel comfortable trusting him, so I didn't argue or complain. "Jill, Cliff, each of you picks out a few of these," Gray said, shoving a box full of rockets and colored doo-dads at us, "and I'll make a small show by the beach."

I was giddy to begin, fireworks were just so fascinating! Digging through the box, I picked out a package of some blue powder in a long cardboard tube, a pink something-or-other, and the largest firework in the box, an intricate mess of gold and silver wires and ties. Cliff had already given Gray his fireworks, and Gray had picked a few fireworks of his own. "Alright, let's head to the beach." Gray led the way, somehow managing to shimmy down the rope even with an armful of explosives. Cliff and I followed close behind, and nearly had to jog to keep up with Gray's brisk walk.

At the beach, Gray shoved all of the fireworks into the sand, aimed towards the horizon over the water. "Ready?" He asked, and I clapped my hands and smiled.

"Wait!" I said, remembering something. "I get startled easily, so I'll need to sit… Hold on…" Problem: The beach is, (duh), covered in sand. I don't want to get sand in my work outfit, that would be so uncomfortable if I needed to rush and do something at my farm. I shuddered, knowing that Trent would be at my farm. But, farm first and protecting myself second. I owe it to my animals. "I need somewhere to sit…" I must have accidentally thought out loud, because Cliff had taken off his shirt and laid it on the beach.

"Here, you can sit on this," He said, smiling innocently.

I looked over to thank my friend, and had to do all I could not to stare. _Cliff is practically homeless. And he has a body like that? Oh, dear Harvest Goddess. _"Thanks!" I said cheerfully and plopped my bottom on the fabric. Gray lit the fireworks, and I stared in wonder.

I shuddered, feeling the evening's chill set in. Forget-Me-Not-Valley was a cool climate, but suddenly I felt a human arm around my shoulders. And, of course, I spazzed out. "Ahhhh!" I yelled, "No!" Thinking of how Trent had hurt me, I jumped back, barely keeping my butt on the shirt.

"S-sorry…" A very red Cliff mumbled, embarrassed. His face fell, and it looked like someone had just told a four year old that his dog died.

I felt bad. Cliff was only trying to be nice, and I freaked out. It wasn't his fault; it was the goddamn Doctor… "I'm sorry. I'm just jumpy because… Well, you know…" I held out my black and blue wrists. The bruises had turned into welts, but the color was just as disgusting. Cliff gasped, but then understood.

He looked into my eyes. "Really, if I could… The things I'd do… Skye and I… Even Gray… I'd hurt him if I saw him now. You're one of my best friends… So cruel." I smiled, my heart warmed by his broken sentences. It was nice having a friend like him; he was such a brother figure to me. He put his arm around me again, tentatively, and I let him this time. _Wouldn't Skye be mad?_

Nah, Skye wouldn't be mad, right? An arm is an arm. It's not like he's trying to cop a feel, not like there's much there to try to feel anyway. We- well, I- have my clothes on, and we're practically brother and sister. The "finale" went up, and I recognized it as my last firework. Gold sparks illuminated the water, and the crackling noises filled the air. I giggled, imagining how nice the display would be if it were darker outside. I gave Gray thumbs up. "Nice show, you should be a professional!" I said, earnestly. Gray smiled and played with his hat.

In a more serious tone, he looked at me, and made a face like he was thinking. "Jill," he finally let out, "I need to talk to you. About… Me and Mary. It's a girl thing, Cliff, you wouldn't want to hear." Cliff nodded and went his own way, not asking questions, deciding to go play with a turtle by the pond a few hundred feet away.

"Huh?" I said when it was just me and Gray. "I might not be the best person to ask, I don't even know Mary."

Gray shook his head. "I just needed a reason to make Cliff leave. In fact, it's about him- Cliff. He really, really likes you Jill. And he's trying to control himself because of Skye. He knows you're in love. He knows that Skye loves you, too. It hurts him, every time he sees you. But you make him so happy that he thinks it's worth it. And I'm quoting him word for word; I'm not near this cheesy. I just thought you should know. Because I know you only think of him as a friend, he's fallen for you." Gray blushed and looked down at the ground, clearly feeling awkward about revealing his friend's feelings to me.

I thought about it. "Uh, well, is there anything I'm supposed to do? I mean, I'm not being rude, but I have Skye. And you're right, I love him. But I love Cliff too. Not, you know, in THAT way. But as a friend, even as a brother, Cliff and I have a really special bond. I don't really know what to do. I know he doesn't seem too forward though, so that's good." Gray nodded.

I thought over the information, and realized it wouldn't really change anything. I mean, maybe if I was too personal with Skye in front of Cliff I'd tone it down, but I was the type of person who got embarrassed easily by PDA whether it involved me or not. "I just thought you should know," Gray said, "it's not really a big deal. But if he says something, like just lets some flirty remark slip, let it go. He can't help it." I nodded.

Since me and Gray were done, I went to see what Cliff was doing with the turtle. Upon wandering over to the pond, I had realized it had gotten dark outside. "Should I be heading home soon?" I asked, once I located Cliff in the dark. Gray had somehow found him before me…

"Ribbit!" Cliff said, shoving a turtle in my face. "I named him Kermit!" He exclaimed, gleeful as a little child.

"Dumbass," I retorted, "Kermit was a frog. That's a turtle." Cliff stuck out his lip and pouted, and I made it up with a "Well Kermit is very handsome. And I'm talking about the turtle."

Gray just made an exasperated huffing noise and pretended not to notice. "In answer to your question, Jill, yeah we should be going to your place. But if Trent is there and Skye isn't…"

I subconsciously whimpered. "I'm scared…" Another comforting arm from Cliff.

"Don't be!" He said. "Me and Gray, well… We're pretty badass. I mean, we live in the same city as Trent. We know his weakness." I giggled. I didn't feel any safer, but I was in a better mood, so we headed to my house.

Once we stepped on the property, it was too dark to see anything, and we fumbled to the house. Out of nowhere, a voice called, "Welcome home, Jill!"

Okay, so I freaked out. I cried, first of all. Then I yelled, "_Oh, Goddess!" _and felt my legs give way under me. I may have made a not-so-graceful fall against my door, and then felt arms around me. But… The smell was familiar.

"Shh!" A hushed whisper and a kiss silenced me. "It's just me, Skye." I smiled.

Burying my face into Skye's chest, I laughed. "Sorry. I'm just… on edge, lately. You know." I looked over at Cliff and Gray. _Cliff… He must've just seen me kiss Skye. He looks crushed._ But in a split-second, he was back to the shy and cheerful boy I'd grown to know. "Thanks so much for today, guys! It was fun; y'all definitely have to come over sometime. Skye can cook for you guys, since he's an aspiring chef and all."

"No way!" Cliff yelled. "Me too!"

Skye chuckled. "Jill told me. We'll definitely have to cook a meal together, hm?" I smiled; happy they were getting along so well. But all good things must end, and so with a hug to Cliff and a handshake, of all things, to Gray, Skye and I went inside our home. _Our _home.

I looked around, expecting to find mounds of clothes and fancy goods, and at least a room full of hair products. But instead, I found a couple of suitcases and a few kitchen utensils. "Light packer?" I asked, and Skye nodded.

"You learn to get by on not a whole lot as a thief. Don't wanna get weighed down, you know?" I nodded, ready for Skye to drop the thieving and focus only on cooking.

A chill drifted in through some miniscule crack in the wall, and goosebumps dotted my arms. "I'm c-cold," I murmured to nobody in particular.

Skye smirked. "I can fix that…" And with a wink and pounce, both of us were wrapped in each other on _our _bed, breathing as one and just laying there, not even kissing, enjoying each other's presence. Moments like these, I wasn't scared at all. I was untouchable.


	13. Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Drama in this one haha. It's not an amazing chapter, but it's gonna get better- I promise! :) **

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Falling asleep in Skye's arms almost made me not want to sleep- I didn't want to miss a second of this. His silver hair tickled my nose, and his warmth made me feel infinite. Tucked away into his arms, I gently lowered my eyelids and drifted off into his aura.

_Knock! Knock! _I rubbed my eyes. The sun wasn't even over the horizon yet, and a few seemingly lost beams peered through the window by my bed. _Who the hell would be here at this time?_ Skye, apparently, was still lost in dreamland. Which made sense, I guess, since he's basically nocturnal.

I shuffled over to the door, not caring about my appearance, leaving my hair messy and bumpy and in my face. Not like I needed to impress anyone; the only boy who I wanted to look good for was fast asleep. In my bed, nonetheless, which was still a new feeling to me.

"Coming…" I mumbled, and I opened the door, still looking behind me at my beautiful boyfriend. (I love saying that- and who thought I'd be the one ever be care about having a boyfriend?!) When suddenly, everything went black, and I lost consciousness again.

_What the hell? Where am I? _At some point later, I didn't know when, I guess I woke up. Well, duh I woke up, but… It felt wrong. Dirty. I felt like I wasn't home; and I got worried. My head was pounding, like some kind of killer hangover, and I was disoriented. Everything was… Dark. But I was sure my eyes were open. Weren't they? "Ouch!" Yes, they were. Poking my left eye proved that. Where was Skye_? _Wasn't he just next to me a while ago? But, then again, who knows how long ago that was… I decided to assess my surroundings.

As I already said, it was dark. So I assumed that I was either in a cave, or it was nighttime. Both guesses were correct, actually, I eventually figured out that I was in a cave and it was late at night. How the hell I managed to wake up in a cave, I didn't know, but the obvious thought never really came to me.

"Jill? Oh, I'm so glad you're awake. Finally." That sinister voice sneered from inside the cave, and my stomach dropped. _Trent. I should've known._ I bunched my hands into little fists, and turned to face him.

He had lit a fire, which ordinarily would be cozy. But the way the flickering light danced upon his angular face, Trent just looked eerie and creepy. "What the fuck, Trent?! Seriously, you kidnapped me?!" I yelled, and I felt my face go red.

Trent feigned hurt and shot me that despicable, perverted little smirk he always did. "Well, what will you beloved thief do now, huh? You're mine now."

My thief… Skye. _Does Skye think I ran from him? Is he worried? Is he looking for me? _I collapsed onto the cold and barren stone floor and felt hot, angry tears burst from my eyes. "I'm not yours," I said through clenched teeth, "and I never will be."

With speed faster than I ever would have imagined, Trent somehow ran towards me. So I did, instinctively, what I thought I was supposed to do- I ran too. Into a corner. _Genius. Way to corner yourself, dumbass._ I groaned, and Trent pressed his hands against my wrists so that I was pinned to the stone wall. Sharp rocks dug into my back and the backs of my arms, but I just winced and didn't complain. I couldn't show him weakness.

"No. You _are _mine, Jill. You can't even run now." At that moment, the insane doctor mashed his lips onto mine, and forced his tongue into my throat. I gagged, and tried to move my head. "Bitch, you won't get away from me!" The doctor commanded and slapped me, leaving a stinging sensation across my left cheek. Shocked from the impact, and trying to recoil, I was frozen, which gave Trent the opportunity to go back at it. I felt cold, hard hands slide up my shirt, and goosebumps traversed my entire body. But they weren't the goosebumps like when Skye touches me- those are full of passion and desire, and even impatience. No, this was just disgusting and cruel and wrong. I used my only defense- At the same time; I bit down and thrust my knee up. I knew I made a solid groin connection when the doctor doubled over, and I blood rushed into my mouth from the invading tongue I had chomped down on.

While Trent was trying to recover, I dashed for the exit, and sprinted off to Goddess knows where. Twigs and leaves were unavoidable, and by the time I made it to a clearing some time later, I could feel the open scratches upon my face. My cheek was on fire, but there was nothing I could do. Luckily, I had come upon a grass clearing next to a clear little stream, so I washed my face to calm down. Finally alone, and finally with some sense of security, I sat on a stump and began to bawl my eyes out.

"Skye! Where are you? Oh, I need you! I need help… Trent… I'm so scared, I'm so, so, scared, and I need somebody. Anybody. Help me! I'm all alone, where am I? Is this all my fault? It's all my fault! Oh, I'm so, so, so sorry… Please, forgive me!" I knew I wasn't at fault, but it seemed like every pent-up emotion from the past year spilled out during the pity party.

A rustling in the nearby grove of trees startled me. Frightened, I hid behind the stump, barely concealed but I had nothing better. Fearing the worst, I let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw who stepped through.

A familiar boy with a brown ponytail down his back stepped into the clearing. "Jill? That sounds like you…"

I stood from behind the stump, making the boy jump back. "Oh, Cliff! You have no-"

"What happened to you?!" Cliff interrupted. I guess he saw the cuts on my face and the welt that had arisen from the handprint. "Jill, you're coming with me _now._ But we can't go to the clinic… Shit. I'll treat you in mine and Gray's room at the inn. Goddess, what are you even doing out here at 2 in the morning?"

"Me?" I said, "How about you?" I asked, retorting with his own stupid question. "And, for your information, I was kidnapped."

"Well, for _your _information, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk around town. You're right outside of Mineral Town, you know that, right? Whatever. I have to sneak you in so nobody sees me and tells Trent." Cliff, to my surprise, scooped me onto his back and took off running into a quaint and quiet little town. His feet made click-clacking noises on the cobblestone roads, but otherwise we made it to the inn relatively quietly. He carried me up the stairs, and then opened the door to what I assumed to be his room. A familiar orange mop of head stirred in the bed farthest from the door, and I heard groaning from Gray. "Gray, get your ass up, and get a first aid kid!"

"What… Cliff?" Even in his half-awake stupor, Gray managed to get himself out of bed and grab a white box from atop a dresser. "Here…" Then, he must've seen me, because he said, "Jill?! Huh? Cliff?"

Cliff sighed and opened the white box. While applying some ointment to my face, which stung like a mother, he explained everything. "Trent kidnapped Jill, and she ran away. I found her, now we're here. Got it?" Gray nodded.

"I'm… I'm okay, Cliff. Thank you so much though….I'm sorry for bothering you guys." I started to walk to the door, but Cliff cut me off.

Blocking the door, he crossed his arms. More assertive than I'd ever seen him, Cliff sternly said, "No, Jill. You're staying the night here. You need rest, and you need to be hidden. I can take you home tomorrow, but not tonight. It's a half past 3 in the morning, and you're staying here. It's final."

"But…" I looked around the room, "What about Skye? He doesn't know."

Cliff rolled his eyes. "You can call your… _loverboy_ tomorrow." He spat out the words, avoiding Skye's name.

I sighed and gave in to his peer pressure, and was about to slip between the covers of the third free bed when something flannel-y hit the back of my head.

"It's an old shirt," Cliff said, "I figured you wouldn't wanna wear those clothes as pajamas. They smell."

Somewhere between being put out and giggling, I thanked Cliff and held the shirt in my hand for a minute. Cliff looked at me questioningly when I didn't put it on right away, and I let out a small cough. Getting the message, Cliff turned around and gave me some privacy. Gray was already back to sleep, so I didn't worry so much about him. I quickly threw off my grimy clothes and put on the shirt, and coughed a second time so Cliff knew to turn around. "Thank you so much, Cliff. I don't know what I'd do without you…" Without thinking, I walked to Cliff and flung my arms around his shoulders.

Thinking about how the doctor had begun to get too personal with me, I started crying, Cliff potentially saved me from more disgusting make-out sessions, or worse. A strong arm stroked my back, and I guess at some point I fell into a down bed, with Cliff still holding me.

Exhausted, I felt myself going under and giving into sleep. But right before I did, a shuffle in the bed made me turn to face Cliff. He gingerly pushed his lips to mine, and said, "Jill, I love you. Good night."

Shocked, I merely blushed. I turned over, and right before closing my eyes, I muttered, "Cliff, I-I-I…"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Author's Note: HOLY SHIT. I did it again- Leaving my stories for a ridiculous amount of time! I feel like the biggest piece of shit, and I am so, so, sorry. (Again.) I tried to make this chapter long, but it turned out... Filler-y. I'm sowwy :( It's going to be wrapped up soon though, as long as the procrastination monster doesn't take me hostage. (Again.) **

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I fell asleep before finishing. My eyes closed, and I literally felt myself falling… falling…

_I breathed in heavily. These aren't my sheets, no… Where am I? Why is Cliff next to me? I pushed on his shoulder. "Cliff? Cliff?!" I shrieked, getting no response. Finally, after what seemed like forever, his ponytail shifted and he turned to face me. _

_"Cliff?" He asked, smirking. With one swift movement, he pulled off what was apparently a clip-on ponytail accessory and revealed the hideous, evil face of the doctor. I gasped and recoiled, but Trent was too fast. He grabbed me and pinned me onto the bed. Shaking and crying I shouted but nobody was around to hear me, for the foreign bed had melted into the floor of a forest. Trees surrounded the landscape and as far as I could see the only life was in the plants. _

_Hot breath harassed my cheek, and then Trent snarled, "Jill… Come on, don't you love me?" _

_"No!" I yelled, tears uncontrollably cascading from my eyes. "I hate you! I don't love you!" _

_The doctor then looked concerned all of a sudden. He prodded my arm. "Jill? Jill? Why are you screaming? Jill?"_

"C'mon, Jill, it's just a dream! Stop crying," I opened my eyes to see Cliff over me. His arms cinched around my waist. "You don't love me?" He teased while wiping the tears from my cheeks.

I laid in stunned silence. "So… It didn't… The doctor… Not real?" I choked out in broken sentences. Cliff shook his head and pulled me into a warm embrace. I felt so sloppy in his oversized clothes whereas he had barely any- Just worn pants. I blushed, but then thought of Skye and felt down. More tears came, and I just played it off as fear from the nightmare but now I just really missed Skye. I wondered if he was looking for me, or if he even cared. _Of course he does! Stop being so pessimistic, _I tried to console myself.

Cliff brushed my hair off of my sweaty face. "Are you okay?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I guess. What time is it?"

"Four-thirty in the morning. And you really need sleep, you've had a rough few days and a late night."

I sighed. "I… I'm not ready to go back to sleep." Cliff nodded and said he'd stay awake until I fell back asleep. "So…" I began, hoping for a conversation.

"So…?" Cliff replied. "Where'd you get your bracelet?" He asked curiously, pointing to my wrist.

_Uh-oh. _I could already feel the future crack in my voice just thinking about Chelsea. I already had to explain all of this to Skye; why did I have to explain it to Cliff? I inhaled and kept my face down, but I told Cliff nonetheless since we were best friends and I knew he would be compassionate about it. "Uh, well… My best friend made it for me. Her name is- Well, _was _Chelsea. She lived on an island. Well, I mean, I used to live there too. It was nice. We were both ranchers. And we hung out every day, and became best friends. I was even best friends with her husband, a fisherman. Um, but, one day she… She got really sick. And it got worse. And… and… she d-died." My voice was barely above a whisper on the last sentence. I hated reliving that day; watching her die and not being able to do a thing.

Once the first tear dropped, I looked through my eyelashes into Cliff's sympathetic brown eyes. They were getting misty, and he let me bury my head into his chest. "I'm so, so sorry, Jill. That happened to my friend, too."

"It did?" I sniffled.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. That's why I came here with no money, no home, no family. I understand completely what you went through. Even now, visiting my family; all it does it remind me of him. But… he was killed while on a boat during a storm. Everyone died." Warm and salty water plopped onto the top of my head, but I didn't mind. We just sat there clinging to each other; trying to cope.

"Let's talk about something more… Happy," I suggested, trying to smile. Cliff nodded in agreement. "So, how did you become so good at cooking?" I asked.

Cliff smiled. Cooking was his thing; his forte. He was damn good at it, and he sure knew it. Could he cook fancy breads, delectable cakes, feasts fit for royalty, and the most delicate of pastries? Yeah, he sure could. "When I was little," he began, "my mom would always ask me to help her cook. And it was little things, like rolling cookie dough or slicing up an apple, but it sparked my interest in food. When I got older, I started doing classes. And once I hit high school and my mom told me that cooking impressed girls… Well, I think that's when I really took it seriously."

I giggled. "But you're so shy, Cliff!"

He blushed. "I know. I think that's why I got so into it- Because I didn't have the balls to talk to any of the girls; at least not to impress them with witty jokes or even the confidence to have a very meaningful conversation. So I cooked for them. And it actually kind of worked."

"Well, I'm happy for you, then," I said. "Wanna take a walk? This room is kind of stuffy. And I don't want to deal with an angry Gray if we wake him up."

Cliff and I quietly left the room, snuck down the stairs, and stepped into the cool breeze of the night air. Funny, considering Cliff had taken a walk just a few hours ago. I'd feel bad if he didn't seem so eager. "Do you want to see the pond?" Cliff asked. I nodded.

The moonlight made it easy to navigate to the pond. I guess that's how Skye can manage to be so stealthy late at night- He stays under the moon's warm gaze. Not to mention he sweet-talks every female he encounters. _I wonder if he still does that… Would that irritate me? Hm. _The walk was silent, but soon enough we were at the pond. There were so many beautiful flowers and small nocturnal animals were singing songs to each other. I smiled. "It's… beautiful!" I exclaimed and sat on a rock.

"Like you…" Cliff mumbled, but I pretended I couldn't hear him._ I have Skye. I need Skye. Cliff is just my best friend. But I do feel bad…_ "Do you hear that?!" Cliff asked suddenly.

"Wha-" Cliff threw his hand over my mouth and told me to listen. Sure enough, I heard a faint… whimpering? I stood up and gave Cliff a look that told him to stay put. I was much more graceful. Poking through overgrown grass, I found a small clearing on the opposite side of the pond. Luckily nobody would have heard me coming, as the frogs' croaking was so loud.

I tip-toed through the clearing until I saw a dark shape. The outline looked so… Human. And I could've sworn there was a familiar glimmer to the silver hair running down its back. But what's to say I wasn't just imagining things? Hell, this could be another dream. I sat down.

The figure's back was heaving, and suddenly it sobbed, "Oh, Goddess, don't let her be dead! Don't let her be hurt… Oh, I've looked everywhere. I just, I… I love her! And I need her! And I can't stand this pain. This is the worst thing I've ever been through. Goddess… Save me… Save her…"

I put my hand over my mouth. _Skye?! _"Jill?" A voice huffed into my ear.

This time, it was my turn to put a hand over Cliff's mouth (Who said he could follow me, anyway? Creeper much?) And I ran to the figure. "Skye!" I yelled.

Skye turned around with the most shocked look on his face. "Jill… You're okay?! Oh my God, I was so scared! Are you hurt?"

"Nope!" I cheered, deciding to not mention the slapping now. "Cliff found me!"

Skye walked over to Cliff, who was kicking a stone. "I cannot thank you enough, Cliff. I owe you my life. You… you protected my life, actually, as she's right here with me now. Oh, if you _ever _need anything- Just, thank you."

I was in the air in no time, being held up by Skye's muscular arms and held to his chest. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he passionately kissed me over and over and over. I smiled in the kisses, making them sloppy, but who cared? I was back with Skye. "I love you so much Jill," He said into my lips.

I returned the kiss and said, "I love you too, Skye!" He spun me around, and I was face-to-face with Cliff. Who had the most depressed, heartbroken expression on his face. _Shit, what have I gotten myself into now?_


End file.
